


The Golden Trio

by arminblossom (syrren)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-16
Updated: 2013-11-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 14:12:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1006371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syrren/pseuds/arminblossom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Eren Yeager is enrolled with a new tutor, he gains a friend who will stick by his side for life. As Armin Arlelt and Eren Yeager grow up their lives change dramatically and, with Mikasa Ackerman by their side, they face the joys and depressions of life together behind the walls.<br/>As time passes on relationships get complicated and confusing and risks are natural with the territory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren Yeager runs into a lifetime partner when he joins a new class.

“But Dad, I don’t want to go!” six year old Eren shouted at Dr. Jaeger, tearing his wrist away from the man’s grip. Eren turned his back on his father and started to walk towards home again, just within sight. He could see his mother at the end of the lane still waving goodbye to them, though now showing confusion at the two figures halting in their tracks. She knew Eren would be stubborn about going but she figured that her husband would settle their son down.

“Eren, you need to learn how to read and write and your mother and I just don’t have the time right now to teach you. Besides, by this age you should start to get friends,” Dr. Jaeger told his son smoothly, none too worried.

“So other kids will be there too? Not just that old man Mum kept talking about?” Eren piped up.

“Of course not, it’s important for you to socialize. Now come on or we’re going to be late. Mr. Arlelt told us to be there by 11 am and as it is we’re leaving behind schedule.” Dr. Jaeger pushed up his glasses with a frown and took Eren’s hand again.

Eren followed obediently after that, if a bit excited about finally meeting some kids his own age. There were others his age around his neighbourhood but he just never cared for them. Mr. Arlelt was a tutor in a whole different neighbourhood, though, and that meant different, probably better, kids.

Dr. Jaeger continued to lead his son down the cobblestone road. Autumn was setting in, brittle leaves divorcing themselves from the sprawling branches above and traveling down the sidewalks playfully. Above the sky was clothed in pearly white clouds and every once in a while a flock of birds idly trailed below them, dark specks against the bright white. A chill zephyr swept through the streets, making Eren silently grateful for the warm brown sweater his mother forced him to wear. They passed by one of the main streets in the area where the local markets were established and took a turn at the tall clock tower that always intrigued Eren, who wanted to see the city from the very top of it. They entered a narrow street crowded with red and orange trees and quaint little houses facing each other. This they walked a little way down and then came to a tiny tan and brown house with sheer white curtains at the windows and carefully trimmed rose bushes in front.

“Ah, Dr. Jaeger, I was starting to worry you wouldn’t make it,” a man greeted. He clearly had some years on him but his hair still remained a youthful brown and his golden eyes were as alert as ever. He pulled the wooden door open a bit more and let the father and son enter his home.

“I hope this isn’t too much trouble for you, Mr. Arlelt,” Dr. Jaeger said formally.

“Oh no, not at all, I’m happy to inspire young minds,” the host chuckled.

“Well, thank you then, and if you ever need anything you know where Carla and I live. Eren, I’ll be back in a few hours. Be good for Mr. Arlelt,” Eren’s father instructed and turned to the door. Before exiting the house completely he stopped to add, “And Eren, try and make friends with the other kids without starting a fight.” With that, he left Eren alone with what the young child saw as strangers.

“Hello, Eren. Your father is a great man, but I’m sure you know that. Anyway, I’ll be teaching you and a few other kids your age how to read and write, basic math, and the like. You can go ahead and have a seat on the floor with the others and we’ll get started in a few minutes,” Mr. Arlelt smiled.

Eren nodded and hesitantly approached the small ring of other students. There were two brunet boys talking animatedly to each other and a few girls playing with each other’s hair. No one seemed to notice Eren, and though he wasn’t shy by a long shot, Eren wanted to obey his father and not start a fight so he was uncertain of whether he should interject himself into the conversation the other boys were having.

Just then a pair of wide, bashful eyes caught his attention, eyes the colour of the deep blue sky of spring and as sweet as his mother’s. Those lovely blue eyes were stealing glances of him every few seconds, curious of this silent newcomer who looked so friendly in his handmade sweater. Having caught his attention, Eren looked more at the shy blue eyed boy. He was small, smaller than any of the other kids, with his short height and narrow shoulders. Pale blonde hair encircled his pale but chubby face. A large blue jacket that matched his eyes was draped around his shoulders but his white shirt and black pants were much more fitted to his form. His small hand clutched a thick leather-bound book, perfectly manicured nails pushing slightly into the cover. But there was no doubt that his eyes were his best feature, a true window into the boy’s soul.

And likewise the boy was entranced by Eren. He had seen the other kids surrounding him from the window where he sat, thumbing through illustrated books of the outside world that his grandfather lent him. He never talked to them, but at least he recognised these children. But the tall, thin brunet was a stranger, even if the boy had met Dr. Jaeger a few times in the past. The bright green eyes of Eren’s looked so lively, but not the self-centred liveliness of the other children present, they were inviting. He could tell Eren would be one to have a temper by the farewell the doctor have his son, but he could also tell that Eren was going to be a better friend than any of the other kids around. His silence told the blue eyed boy that brunet could listen and the right person could control him. So when he caught sight of the green eyed stranger with messy brunet hair and the thick brown sweater, he instantly wished he could have Eren as a friend.

“Er, hi, I’m Eren Jaeger,” the doctor’s son introduced, stepping over to the blonde.

“Armin Arlelt. I haven’t seen you around before,” the blonde replied.

“I live a few blocks down and my mum doesn’t let me out of her sight a lot. So you are Mr. Arlelt’s son then?”

“Oh, no, his grandson actually, I stay with Grandpa when my parents are out of town. They’re out of town a lot,” Armin sighed. He collected himself then and brought forward the book he clasped in his hands. “Wanna see?”

Eren nodded and watched with wide eyes as Armin opened the old book and pointed at all the pages he bookmarked. On each page was a new and fascinating illustration, depictions of what looked to be very large lakes called “oceans” and fiery rivers and several other amazing sights. And each illustration was of the world outside the walls.

“I thought anything related to the outside world was banned,” Eren whispered.

“Yeah but seeing this is worth it,” Armin exclaimed, grinning sweetly.

“So you’ll be my friend, right?” Eren blurted out. “My dad wants me to make friends because I can’t get along with anyone in our neighbourhood and you seem better than anyone else I’ve met anyway.”

“I already consider you a friend, Eren. Most kids threaten me when I start talking about these books but I can’t help it!” Armin kept smiling.

“Then we’re friends from now one and you can tell me all about the outside world and someday we’ll join the Scouting Legion!” Eren laughed.

Just then Mr. Arlelt interrupted the chatter of the students and started introducing the alphabet. When he had the children recite the alphabet to each other, Armin and Eren paired up and took turns. And because of how attentive and helpful Armin was, they both had it memorised before any of the other students. The duo was the first to successfully start spelling simple words like “cat” and “dog”. With Armin’s deep understanding of their surroundings and Eren’s strong willpower, the two were practically unstoppable.

Too soon the lesson was over and Dr. Jaeger was due to arrive any minute. Mr. Arlelt had announced at the end of the class that they would be meeting again tomorrow, easing the terror the two had of not being able to see each other again. Armin spent the last few minutes listening as Eren told him all the heroic acts they would do together when they got older, like joining the Scouting Legion and slaying all of the Titans. And when Dr. Jaeger came and told Eren they must leave if they were going to arrive in time for dinner, Armin said a heartfelt farewell to his new friend and slipped him the book he had been clutching. The two were practically inseparable at the end of their first day together.

On the way home Eren told Dr. Jaeger all about the new friend he had made in class who was so smart, making his father happy that he had finally found peace with someone his own age…and not started any fights. At dinner Armin told his grandfather the amazing dreams Eren had and how great it was to have a friend.

After that Eren and Armin spent every lesson together, becoming fast friends. It was the beginning of a long and enduring relationship.


	2. Accusation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo gains a new partner and Mikasa and Armin come to terms in the silent night.

For three years Eren and Armin had been inseparable friends, ever since they met at Mr. Arlelt’s tutor lessons. They spent all of their free time together; either thumbing through Armin’s grandpa’s numerous books, talking about the outside world and the incredible feats they would perform to get there, or exploring the city as Eren’s mother started to trust him more, especially now that sensible Armin accompanied him. They were the best of friends and no matter how much their guardians pleaded they never invited any other kids to join them.  
That was, they never invited anyone else to join them until the day when Dr. Jaeger took Eren on one of his house visits. Armin had spent the night before at the Jaeger’s house for supper so he was informed that Eren would be gone the following day. As he had become a part of the family over the last few years, Dr. Jaeger did not bother to hold the conversation with Eren privately and instead told them both of the trip.  
For the past couple of weeks Armin had not been able to spend much time with Eren. His parents had come home so the blonde boy rarely got to escape their sight. The duo never spent much time apart and Armin knew that Eren being lonely for the given time might come to trigger his temper. To show his friend that Armin hated being apart from him just as much, he personally asked his grandfather and the Jaeger couple if Eren could spend the night at his house when his parents left. The sleepovers were not unusual themselves, they often spent nights over at one another’s house, but it had never been Armin who asked. Now that he did, Eren was comforted in knowing he was not alone in the loneliness, just anxious to spend time with his friend once more.  
Armin’s parents had only left that morning, leaving the blonde boy a bit empty inside and wanting a distraction. These longer visits from his parents had happened before and those were the times when Eren and Armin spending the night together after they had left were the most important, as the blonde was usually sensitive to his parents’ absence. Eren knew how his best friend felt after those visits, how much he needed him. Which is why the news of the upcoming doctor’s visit strained his patience even more.  
“Eren, I know I have taken you on a few of my doctor’s visits before, but tomorrow I will be gone all day and I want you to come with me. The family I’m visiting has a little girl but there are no other kids her age in the area and it might make her feel better about the visit if you’re there. Armin, the walk there will take us a while so we will probably not get back until later in the evening. As for your request, Eren may spend the night at your place the day after the trip,” Dr. Jaeger announced at the dinner table.  
“I though Mum wanted me to help with chores tomorrow,” Eren shot back, not particularly pleased about losing out on another day with Armin.  
“Eren, your mother and I agree that the trip will be good for you. It’s important for the doctor’s son to know about healing, and I’m hoping you will take my post sometime,” his father remonstrated.  
“But…Armin,” Eren muttered. He was desperate for excuses but it wasn’t worth reminding Armin of his parents.  
“I’ll be fine, Eren. I’ve gone without them before. Besides, it sounds like the girl Dr. Jaeger is visiting needs you more,” Armin shrugged, smiling for his friend. Eren nodded and went back to his dinner.  
“Which is why, Eren, I am expecting you to behave and be kind to the girl,” his father continued.  
“That depends on her behaviour.”  
“With that attitude it’s no wonder you only have Armin as your friend.”  
“Oh, perhaps that’s for the best, dear. At least we know Armin can be a good role model for Eren,” Carla interjected, patting Armin on the shoulder. Over the years Armin and Carla had become close as both were alike in their kind nature.  
The dinner conversation was changed then and as the golden sun set in an orange and pink streaked sky, Armin said his farewells to the Jaeger family and hurried off home. The blonde came home to his grandfather poring over one of the ancient, leather bound books. They usually remained quiet for a while after Armin’s parents had left.  
“I’m not going over to Eren’s tomorrow. Did you still need help on translating that document you found?” Armin whispered, not wanting to raise his voice to the house now devoid of his parents’ laughter and voices. His grandfather nodded so Armin grabbed an instructional book on the language of Latin and trudged to bed to spend the night alone with the cold knowledge surrounding him.  
The next day both Eren and Armin rose early but for very different reasons. The night before Armin had barely slept, struck with the lingering memories of his parents and the usual anxiousness that that might have been the last time he ever saw them. Eren, on the other hand, woke up to his father gently shaking his shoulder and telling him to get up. Outside the paned windows the sky was grey and autumn was setting in once again.  
That day passed in two very different fashions. This was the day that Eren accompanied his father to a sparsely populated region to meet the family of a little girl. Eren learned that her name was Mikasa, but he also exercised his knowledge in how the world works. At the young age of nine, Eren and Mikasa witnessed the cruelty of the world and both acted upon it. By the end of the day the world had gained a few more deaths and Mikasa had gained a red scarf she would never lose.  
Armin spent the day in almost silent conditions. He sat beside his grandfather in the living room, shuffling through all of the information they could collect on the Latin definition as grandpa and grandson translated a document about the outside world that Armin’s parents had left them. He tried to keep his mind off of the past couple of weeks since they had just left, since the wound was still fresh, and instead focused on his work and looked forward to the upcoming sleepover. He remained unaware of the frightening day Mikasa and Eren shared in the meantime.  
“Dad, is Mikasa going to come with me to Armin’s sleepover? I think she should come,” Eren asked his father the following morning. The night before he had spent giving Mikasa the tour of their house and making her feel at ease in the strange surroundings. But now that it was the day of the sleepover and Eren was painfully aware of the duty he owed his best friend, he knew he had to broach the subject.  
Over their friendship Armin and Eren had come to a silent agreement. Eren had always known that he desired to join the Scouting Legion as he was vaguely aware of the embarrassment of being trapped behind the walls. But it wasn’t until he met Armin that he knew what he was going to be risking and sacrificing his life for. Armin introduced him to the outside world and to the joys of knowledge and as watched the blonde talk so hopefully about the wonders outside the walls, he felt himself being tugged along into the grand dream as well. Eren had always had a strong will, but Armin was the one who started telling him how to make that rare gift useful so that they could accomplish their goals. Armin was the strategist, the guiding light, and Eren knew he was far from wrong to place so much trust in the blonde. In payment, Eren used his strength to protect Armin, from the neighbourhood bullies and from the pain of his parents’ absence. Eren stayed by his side through it all and Armin did the same for him.  
“Yes, I think you’re right, Eren. I will have to discuss it over with Mr. Arlelt but I’m sure he will be more than welcoming. I have to leave on another doctor’s visit soon, though, so you to be ready soon,” Dr. Jaeger agreed.  
A half hour later Mr. Arlelt greeted Dr. Jaeger and the two children at the door. If the host was confused he did a splendid job of hiding the fact. Armin came from his room, not expecting his best friend so soon, but pleased regardless that he was now there with him. The blonde took one glance at Mikasa before running up to Eren and hugging him, no longer alone.  
“Mr. Arlelt, Armin, this is Mikasa Ackerman. She will be staying with us from now on. I was hoping she could spend the night with the boys if it isn’t too much trouble,” Dr. Jaeger explained briefly.  
“Ah, of course, Armin and I would be glad to have her,” Armin’s grandpa smiled. The doctor took his departure then, saying farewell to the four.  
“Come on, Eren, Grandpa and I translated another document about the outside world. It’s all about this great empire years and years ago with grand emperors and beautiful statues of gods and there’s even some writing on this place called the Parthenon. Mikasa, you should see this too!” Armin exclaimed, grabbing Eren and Mikasa’s hands and drawing them into his room.  
When they got to Armin’s small room the blonde pulled out the translated and original documents from a pile of papers on his desk and beamed proudly. He read out the most amazing information as he knew Eren was not one to sit and read every little detail and he pointed out the corresponding illustrations on the original paper. The duo kept talking about the Parthenon and the other amazing places, absentmindedly including Mikasa in their excited chatter.  
“We all have to go there someday,” Armin concluded.  
“All of us?” Mikasa repeated, startled.  
“Well, yeah, if you’re going to be staying with me you really should share in Armin’s and my dreams,” Eren told her.  
“But how? We have to stay in the walls,” Mikasa asked.  
“We have to leave someday. Everything comes to an end someday, and when the end comes we will go see all of those amazing places these old books talk about. You can help us get there,” Armin picked up.  
“Yeah, besides, by the way you took that guy out last night we could use you helping us. You can help me take out all of the titans and then Armin will tell us how to get to all of these places,” Eren said.  
“Mikasa did what?! What do you mean she took a guy out?” Armin gasped.  
“Well, last night when Dad and I got to Mikasa’s we found out that some monsters had killed her parents. I went looking for her but they had Mikasa so I killed them. And then this one guy pinned me up so Mikasa rushed up from behind him and got him! It was amazing, Armin, she really can fight when she wants to! With skills like that I’m sure she can kill a lot of the titans too!” Eren cheered.  
“Eren… you mean, you and Mikasa killed someone?” Armin stammered.  
“Well, actually there were three guys,” Eren boasted. “Or should I say monsters dressed as men.”  
“Three?!”  
“Eren! Did you have to tell him? Now he’s going to tell everyone and his grandpa will probably kick me out,” Mikasa reprimanded. Though her voice was level Eren could tell that she did not want to leave yet, that she was intrigued by Armin’s speeches and wanted to be a part of their group. But he also saw her fear in being rejected.  
“No, Mikasa, Armin’s not like that. He won’t tell anyone, he wouldn’t do anything to you,” Eren told her. Behind him Armin smiled slightly at her. He was still a bit shocked at Eren’s story but he didn’t want to reject this girl outright.  
“I won’t tell anyone, Mikasa. And Eren has a point: if you really dispatched that guy so skilfully, you will probably come out to be great at killing titans. You could probably even get into the Military Police if you wanted,” Armin nodded, backing Eren up.  
“Well, now that we’re all friends, Armin, please don’t tell me that’s all you found out. You spending all day with your grandpa and only translating one document seems a bit unrealistic. There’s more isn’t there?” Eren said, immediately banning all awkwardness to the moments when you first meet someone you did not expect to.  
Ah, well, I got some of this other book translated, but it’s in Latin too. It’s a book all about mythology, about gods called Jupiter and Pluto and such. Do you wanna see?”  
Armin went to get the book and together the trio pored over the mythology book. Eren pointed out all the hilarious moments of the text and told Mikasa all of the extra details of the future Armin and him had built together so that she could take a part in it too. Armin told them related facts to the mythology and threw in whatever information he could about achieving their dream, as Eren’s speeches were a bit jumbled and confused Mikasa in places. And Mikasa listened to them intently, silently glad that she had found a new place with the two friendly boys. With this, the day passed quickly with no other accusations, just interesting and hopeful conversations.  
Later that night, Armin and Mikasa were still discussing another book of Armin’s when they noticed Eren snoring loudly. He had fallen asleep and now the two new friends were alone.  
“I’m sorry that your parents were murdered,” Armin told Mikasa quietly, turning to her.  
“It will be all right, I have Eren now, and you. And Dr. and Mrs. Jaeger are very nice. Your grandpa seems nice too. How long are you going to be staying with him?” Mikasa responded.  
“Oh, I live with my grandpa. My parents are gone a lot, you see. They work with the Scouting Legion so they aren’t home often.” While Armin was quick to correct that he was the grandson of Mr. Arlelt, it took a lot of trust to tell someone that his parents were gone because they were in the militia. But he had a feeling that Mikasa would be loyal to him, and it was clear to both that they were becoming fast friends.  
“I understand. Eren told me on the way here that you might be a bit sad today, I see why,” she nodded.  
“Ah, I’m not sad anymore. I got a new friend now and Eren never lets me be lonely,” Armin beamed. He blushed a little and then hugged Mikasa, who returned the embrace.  
The two flipped through yellowing pages in silence for a while more before finally falling asleep next to Eren. The Shinganshina trio was complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are just prompts so it might jump a few years at a time but it should flow smoothly.


	3. Restless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin gets into a scrape about the outside world and the golden trio strengthen their relationship.

Down the block, past the tall clock tower, and just before the marketplace where most residents in the area of the Shinganshina district purchased their supplies, there stood an old library shadowed by two towering trees on either side of the front door. Like the rest of the buildings, the library sported off white walls and wood crossing over in a lattice pattern, though it differed in its stone foundation and cobblestone steps leading the way to the entrance. Great windows framed with iron bars spanned the entire building, giving glimpses to those outside of towering bookshelves and worn books, clearings for long tables with standard chairs as well as tight coves where a few armchairs and coffee tables were placed cosily.  
All three of the Shinganshina trio were delegated chores, but while Armin was done within, at most, an hour, Eren and Mikasa were usually away two or three times as long, collecting wood or other various duties. Eren used to brag to Armin that he could finish his responsibilities even faster than the blonde, but when it became apparent that the brunet was easily distracted by sleep, even with Mikasa’s help, neither of the boys mentioned the proposed feats any longer.  
Armin looked forward to spending time with Mikasa and Eren, but he also enjoyed his time alone while the two were away. Most of his time during their absence was spent in the library reading or home with his grandfather discussing politics or translating texts. It was his time, other than just before bed, where he could have peace and silence and research to his heart’s content.  
This day was no exception. The bookshelves of the aged library looked upon Armin as he scanned book titles, a common sight. Running his fingers lightly against the spines of the neatly placed books, the blonde calmly took in each title until he finally captured the text he particularly needed. Since the people within the walls all came from different nationalities and countries that existed over a century ago, most of the books were written in languages not yet learned by the blonde, forcing many of his days to be spent translating texts carefully. With leather bound tome in hand, he collapsed until his usual armchair in the far back of the building and opened it on his knee. He poised his pencil over a fresh piece of paper, ready to begin translating the text when—  
Crash! The sound of shattering glass and the shriek of a startled librarian pierced the silence. Armin jumped in his seat then sprinted to the front of the library, abandoning his work. By the entrance he found a heavy rock and splintered glass sprinkled across the stone floors clothed in faded Persian rugs – a reminder of the glory the library used to have. The only librarian on duty – as most people did not come in midday – was standing up by her desk, her hand clamped over her mouth. Armin gave her a side glance, taking in her quaking form, and shook his head in disbelief that something like this had transpired. She was new here and there was no one else in the library but the two of them.  
“The broom is in the back,” he hinted to her, knowing the building like the back of his hand from spending so many long hours among the great volumes.  
The brunette librarian nodded and headed towards where Armin pointed, tripping slightly in the high heels she was apparently not yet used to. Stepping carefully over the mess, the blonde boy peered outside the library’s double doors to see if he could find the culprit. Nothing like this had happened before, and part of Armin wanted to call off someone who would do such a thing as destroy library property.  
“Did you hear her scream?” a laughing voice commented. The boy’s voice was responded to by several other hyena laughs. That was all Armin needed to hear to take a deep breath and approach the kids.  
“Why did you do that?” he asked boldly. Armin was not one to stand up to others like this, in fact, he was usually the one trying to calm Eren down before a fight could begin. But the snickers of the boys towards the new librarian hit a nerve; it bothered him that the cruel world hit so close to his personal paradise in the library. So there he stood tall, his hands clenched against his long sleeve black shirt and his wide blue eyes glaring at the neighbourhood kids. Wind played along the street, brushing his hair back, as he stepped closer towards the leader of the group.  
“Because that library shouldn’t even be there! My dad said that the royals banned all of those stupid books about the outside world, and what else would the books in there be about?! Besides, that library is paid by tax dollars and we should be able to do whatever we want if we own the building anyway!” the main boy shouted.  
Armin remembered clearly when his grandfather told him that the books of the outside world had been banned. He remembered coming home from the library a couple of years ago after finding it a lot emptier than usual. His grandfather explained that the outside world was announced to be taboo by the royals because it made people who read them want to lead better lives than what they had inside the wall. The royals feared it would start protests so the only course of action was to keep the people ignorant of such causes. They banned the knowledge of the wonders, taking away and burning any tome that featured them, and people feared the outside world. Their plan had worked.  
The blonde shook his head at that logic; he knew better. Even if the books were banned, his parents continued providing him and his grandfather with texts of the outside world often, courtesy of their position in the Scouting Legion. He knew that life could be better someday, that life had been far better centuries ago, outside the walls. He was only further upset by the ignorance his opponent had, because this only meant that humanity was losing its will to fight.  
“You’re wrong! Those books provide knowledge and strength to all. If we don’t have the will to better our lives, we have nothing! Humanity might as well give up! Those books shouldn’t have been banned in the first place!” Armin shouted, rushing towards the boys.  
The blonde boy, however, was small for his age, while the bullies were larger and stronger than him. The leader instantly grabbed Armin’s collar and threw him up against the wall. Armin attempted restlessly to fight back but with one punch to the cheekbone, the leader made him stay still for a moment.  
“So you actually want those books back? They were just written so that we would go outside and get killed. That’s what you want, huh? Obviously you spend too much time with Eren, you both are suicidal heretics,” the boy insulted.  
“Let me go! Just because you will be left in the dark doesn’t mean you’re right.” Armin picked up his struggle to free himself from the bully’s grip once more.  
“What’s the matter, heretic?” one of the other boys sneered.  
“Ignorant pigs like you!” Armin spat.  
The three boys raised their eyebrows and then closed in on Armin, punishing him for his insult. On instinct the blonde curled into himself and held his arms over his head. As his pale skin was gifted with bruises by the trio, his only thought was how cruel the world was. He could only reflect how the strongest had the upper hand in society, regardless if their actions were the better for humanity or not.  
“Hey, guys its Eren,” one of the three said absentmindedly.  
“Yeah?” one of the others sniffed, giving another kick to the blonde.  
“There’s a girl with him.”  
“What of—oof!”  
Armin glanced up quickly to find the intimidator who just recently thrashed him gone. He sat up to find Eren offering him a hand and took it, grateful as his best friend pulled him up and held his hand. Noting that only seconds earlier there had been a commotion as the bullies screamed and escaped, he locked eyes with Mikasa, who nodded. He figured out quickly that it had been the brunette who dispatched the three boys. She had protected him, even avenged him.  
“Th-thank you,” Armin said meekly, looking down at his hand clasped with Eren’s.  
Before this, Armin had never fought before, he had never found someone to strike him and knock him off of his feet. Even with Eren, he stayed a good distance away from his friend’s opponents. All of this time he thought he only stayed out because of his strong opposition to violence, but as the new bruises blossomed, he knew it was more because he was a coward. He had had his chance to make an impression on the three boys, to keep them away from the library after that, but instead he had only invited them to pummel him again in the future. He dropped too easily, he stopped fighting too soon, and he took his friends’ help far too readily. He would never survive this world if he kept being so dependent on those who could be stronger. If he couldn’t, what more was he to his friends than a burden?  
“Armin, speak to me. Are you okay?” Eren questioned him worriedly. Armin nodded silently and dried his tears with the sleeve of his shirt.  
“Why were you fighting, Armin? I didn’t think you were the violent type,” Mikasa stated. She had been living with Eren for only a month, but with the trio constantly being together, she learned the personality of the two boys quickly.  
“Yeah, Armin, what was that? I’ve never known you to – It was them, wasn’t it?! They just attacked you!” Eren growled.  
“No, it was my fault. They broke a window at the library and when they regarded the outside world as nothing but a slaughterhouse, I insulted them. They knocked me to the ground before I can do anything.” Armin kept his head down, his eyebrows creased.  
“Ah, they don’t know anything, Armin. It would take you a million tries before they even got one idea through their thick heads. Let me and Mikasa beat them up for you, okay?” Eren smiled.  
“I can handle it.”  
Eren glanced at Armin at that statement, fearing that his friend might get himself into more trouble. But Armin had a will of his own and Eren and Mikasa would personally make sure that blonde didn’t get harmed in the meantime. Without Armin their golden trio wouldn’t be complete, there wouldn’t be anyone to explain the glories of the outside world, their sense of purpose would be diminished. How could they accomplish all of their dreams without their best friend? So when Armin got into fights in the future, even though those were far and few in between, Eren and Mikasa were always ready to protect him.  
The brunet boy smiled at Armin, proud to have him as a friend, and pulled him into a hug. They both automatically pulled Mikasa down into the embrace and the trio’s relationship only strengthened as their loyalty to each other grew.


	4. Snowflake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A snowy day ends with a kiss shared between Eren and Armin.

A light tap at his window woke Armin up. It did not happen often, but whenever Eren woke up before Armin he would come and wake up the blonde with a knock at the window pane beside his bed. Smiling to himself with the advent of his personal alarm clock, Armin crawled out of the sheets and pulled open the powder blue curtains. He looked outside to find a pair of bright green eyes peering back at him. The brunet grinned and then pivoted on one foot to turn and throw a snowball Mikasa’s way. The girl quickly dodged it and went back to perfecting her own snowball. Armin nodded at Eren’s gesture to come outside and got off his bed just after Mikasa threw a snowball at the back of Eren’s head unexpectedly, making the brunet pull away.  
Armin hurried into thick jeans and a heavy sweater, perfecting the outfit with a crocheted scarf, gloves, and boots. On his way out the door his grandfather pulled a blue and white beanie hat down over his blonde hair, making the bottom portion poof out a little. Armin quickly thanked his grandfather then sprinted outside, joining Eren’s side.  
“The snow is early again this year!” Armin cheered, staring up at the pearly white and swirly grey sky. For the past few years the weather had been getting colder earlier, and though it concerned the adults because of the food supplies running low faster, the first few days were thoroughly enjoyable for the three.  
“Armin,” Mikasa called, voice monotone. Armin turned to greet her but before he could utter a word she had struck him with a snowball, bringing the snow fight off of pause. Eren laughed and threw one at Mikasa and soon the air was filled with the trio’s laughter and the thumps of the packed snow crumbling upon striking their bodies. When it became evident that Mikasa was winning, as Eren had spent all of his energy within the first few minutes and Armin united with Mikasa to stay Eren from his beginning rampage, the trio went on to build a snowman before finally collapsing in the snow and gazing up at the sky as new snowflakes started to fall.  
“Armin, hold still for a second,” Eren commanded, pulling the blonde up into a sitting position. Eren carefully brushed a few snowflakes out of Armin’s eyelashes and gawked at the miniature artwork now disintegrating on his finger. “You had snow in your eyelashes,” Eren finished awkwardly.  
“Thank you, Eren,” Armin responded shyly. He got to his feet, pulling his best friend up with him. “Come on, Grandpa can make us some hot chocolate and we can sit on the porch step and watch the snow fall.”  
“Hey, just like last year,” Eren commented, grinning. The trio headed inside and split up. Mikasa helped Armin’s grandfather make hot chocolate, which was then dispersed into four very festive mugs used just for the winter season, and the two conversed politely over the weather and other small topics. Meanwhile Armin and Eren went to collect a few thick blankets hand crocheted long ago by Armin’s grandmother before she passed, holding hands as they did so.  
The two have always held hands when together, starting only months after they first met. They were close together and it embarrassed neither of them to hold hands in public. It wasn’t that much of a deal when they were younger, but now that they were getting older, many of the neighbours started telling them to knock off the habit. Armin ignored them, not caring since he was glad he could hold his friend’s hand, but there were times when Eren would try to tell the others off for their judgemental words, at which point Armin would drag him away. The habit continued and it became more comfortable for them to hold hands when they were together and kissing each other on the cheek became another one as of a few months ago, but that was performed as often as the former.  
The three met out on the porch doorstep, each supplied with a mug of hot chocolate and blanket. The evening was coming on fast and the neighbours started lighting candles, making the snow in front of them sparkle warmly. Up above the moon was full and the stars twinkled, sprawled out in the millions and guarding the moon from the darkness. The trio settled down silently, close together for warmth, Armin’s head resting on Eren’s shoulder and Mikasa leaning a bit into the brunet as well.  
Early into the evening the three started chattering, Armin getting the lead in his speeches when Eren asked why the snowflakes were all shaped differently. They kept talking until the sky was completely dark and many of the houses around them lost the light in their windows. After a while Mikasa wrapped her blanket tightly around her, bid the boys a mumbled goodnight, and fell asleep tucked in Armin’s bed after gaining another cup of cocoa from Armin’s grandfather.  
With the advent of Mikasa leaving, Eren shook his shoulder to dispatch Armin and then stood up. Repositioning his blanket, he sat back down next to Armin and wrapped his arm around the blonde boy’s thin shoulders, pulling him back onto his shoulder. Just like last year, he persuaded Armin into reciting the constellations he knew and tell short stories of them, why they were there. The blonde told stories beautifully, but a lot of the creativity came from Eren, making the stories a joint effort. And when they started to feel their eyelids grow heavy, Eren pecked Armin on the forehead and offered to carry him to bed.  
“Eren,” Armin said quietly, pulling his head up from Eren’s shoulder. The brunet looked at him and gasped when Armin kissed him on his lips innocently and smiled. “My mum and dad kiss each other all the time and I think maybe we can be just like them when we grow up,” Armin explained with a grin, unaware of the challenges their relationship would face in a few years.  
Eren kissed him back quickly and then stood up. He pulled Armin into his arms bridal style and carried him to the blonde’s room, responding to Mr. Arlelt’s bid of goodnight on the way. Armin’s grandfather knew it was a bit unusual for a boy to carry another boy to bed, for the two to be so close as to always be holding hands and kissing each other, but he didn’t consider it a bad thing. Even he saw that the two belonged together, whether in friendship or something more. He smiled to himself as they made their way to the room, reminded of the chivalry his son-in-law showed his daughter regularly, reflected in Eren’s protectiveness over his grandson.  
Upon finding Mikasa curled up in Armin’s bed, the brunet shrugged and tucked Armin in beneath the pile of blankets and covers before carefully inserting himself between his two friends. He fell asleep with the two resting their heads on his shoulder and woke up to another snowy day just as brilliant as the last.


	5. Haze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin begins to reflect on his relationship with Eren while Eren and Mikasa are already sure of their places in the trio.

“We’re too young,” Armin muttered to himself. He was on his way to the Jaeger’s house to show Eren and Mikasa the new book his grandfather had found. He tapped lightly at the door, waiting patiently as Mrs. Jaeger came to greet him. When she came to the door he followed the social conventions needed automatically, speaking without having to think, as his mind was far away on another topic.  
The blonde set his book on Eren’s desk and turned to Eren and Mikasa, who rushed to meet him and lead him to Eren’s room when they heard him knock. Mikasa glanced curiously at the nth new book Armin had presented since she had met him but Eren only smirked, him having gotten used to Armin’s endless supply of knowledge a couple of years ago.  
“What do you have for us now, Armin?” Eren asked, pouncing to see what new dream Armin had in store. It wasn’t that Eren was interested in knowledge like his friend was, he was always more of an action type person, not a strategist, but he loved seeing Armin get so excited about places and wonders they had never seen. The blonde’s happiness helped fuel Eren’s dream of joining the Scouting Legion and ridding humanity of its humiliation of living inside the walls, living in a cage. Seeing someone else share his dream for so long only strengthened Eren’s resistance, while bringing the two boys closer in the meantime.  
“Oh, my grandfather gave me a new book. He said it’s a copy of a handwritten journal someone found some time ago so there might be inaccurate information. But it also gives insight of the thoughts of someone who didn’t live trapped behind walls,” Armin answered, his voice even and a bit distant as he grabbed the sky blue covered book off of the desk once more. He opened up the book and flipped through the pages. “There aren’t any illustrations really but there are some interesting stories. The author also gave a pretty detailed description of---.”  
“Armin, where does your grandfather get all of these books about the outside world?” Mikasa interrupted suddenly, standing up from Eren’s bed. “I thought anything about the outside world was forbidden.”  
“Well, since my parents work for the Scouting Legion sometimes they can get us texts from old libraries they run across wherever they visit. But we have a larger source. Before it was pronounced as heresy, our local library used to be a main source of information on the world outside the walls. The head librarian even had a larger collection downstairs that was generally reserved for the militia and scholars. After it was banned, the library was urged to dispose of the collection. Some of the books were burned, but only a small portion, just as a show to the public that the library was not involved in anything illegal. After that the rest of the books were dispersed to people trusted not to turn the librarian in, and Grandpa was one of the people. Some of the other people slip more books to him often, though, as the outside world is becoming more shunned. Most people don’t want to be caught but Grandpa doesn’t care as long as he can make an impression on others. He told me your dad took a small portion of the books, too, and a lot of it was on medicine, Eren,” Armin explained.  
“What do your parents do in the Scouting Legion anyway?” Mikasa asked. Now that she and Armin knew each other a lot more she knew he would answer her without hesitation.  
“Well, they used to teach theoretical courses to trainees but the Scouting Legion ended up recruiting their expertise a few years ago. The commander wanted to develop new strategy plans and when he met my parents he knew they could help smooth over any mistakes he might make and perfect it. Even after they developed the new strategies, they stayed on to help teach and maintain the libraries the Scouting Legion has, mostly updating maps and such.”  
“I heard Dr. Jaeger say earlier that the Scouting Legion squads that went out a couple of days ago are coming back today,” Mikasa said quietly. “They have had to wait a while for the gate to open but they’re probably passing through the streets now.”  
“Mikasa? You’re against joining the Legion. Why would you tell us this?” Eren asked, stunned.  
“You need to see that not everyone in the Legion is as lucky as Armin’s parents, Eren.”  
“Ah, save your speech for later, Mikasa. Come on, let’s go greet the heroes!”  
Grinning, Eren raced down the streets, barely acknowledging his mother’s warning to come home before dark as he dashed out the door. Furrowing her eyebrows, Mikasa clamped her hand over Armin’s wrist tightly and dragged him after Eren, the blonde boy tripping slightly as he clutched his book against his chest. They rounded a corner into the main street to find the usual crowd welcoming home the militia. The Shinganshina district was the chosen path for the Scouting Legion when they come and go so the trio had watched their return once before, and the two boys had seen it several more times. They were not surprised to find death and despair, pain and agony, crossing through the streets where they played, but it was never easy for anyone to see the miserable sight. Missions were never successful; useless death was rampant.  
Not being able to push their wait to the front, the trio stood on crates in the back as usual and watched the procession. The whole crowd made Eren’s blood boil with their ignorant comments, but Mikasa and Armin chose not to pay attention.  
“Have your parents ever gone outside before, Armin?” Mikasa asked, her interest growing in the couple’s place in the Legion. If Eren had more interest in learning like Armin, perhaps he could join the Scouting Legion like he wanted and help, but still not be in danger. But she chose not to hope for this, Eren was not one to be able to hold such a position. If anyone, it would be Armin. In the meantime, she would just have to show him the dangers of joining.  
“A few times before. The militia always needs updated maps so every couple of years they go out and note any changes in titan populations and such. They’re always in the centre of the formation, though.”  
Mikasa and Armin paused their conversation for a few minutes as a piercing cry interrupted. A wife had come to greet her husband and found him dead most likely, judging by the age of the weeping girl. It was not unusual for a family member to come out and greet their children or spouse or parent, but when the beloved soldier didn’t survive, it generated a terrible scene. Armin and Mikasa sighed as the crowd turned their attention away from the newly widowed and back to the commander.  
“Why did they even join? Didn’t they know how dangerous joining the Legion was? Why were they even in the military in the first place? They have you, Armin, people with families shouldn’t join,” Mikasa pressed, her voice harsh. She looked at Eren, hoping that she could deter him from his plans without much trouble. She would keep trying until the end.  
“They just wanted to help, Mikasa. People who know about the outside world, who realise how terrible it is for us to be caged, can’t help but try and better the situation. It’s out of base survival instincts and a thirst for freedom. They were teachers for a couple of years before I was born, and continued on with their job when I was younger, at which point they were picked up by the Legion. They want a better future. And, that’s why Eren wants to join, too,” Armin replied calmly.  
“So why did they have you then?” Eren asked suddenly. He wasn’t being mean; he simply didn’t think much before he spoke. The other knew it wasn’t an insult, but while Armin only raised his eyebrow, Mikasa punched him in the arm, producing a yelp from Eren and an apology to Armin immediately afterwards when he reflected back on the words he said.  
“You’re going to get in trouble with someone for your words someday, Eren,” Armin warned, amused by the brunet. “Anyway, it was perfectly normal for them to have a family while in the militia. A lot of other people in the Scouting Legion have children at home.”  
“So then your grandfather inspired them to join with his knowledge, right?” Mikasa changed the subject back. She had heard all about family history from her own parents and Dr. Jaeger, but nothing much from Armin. When pressed, though, a lot of people enjoyed talking about their history. Plus, she had a feeling Eren didn’t know a whole lot about Armin’s family either and it was probably because he never cared to ask, too busy with his dreams.  
“My grandmother inspired them, too. She was just as interested in the outside world as Grandma; probably why they got together in the first place. Only, Grandma had the same position as a theoretical course teacher when she was my parents’ age. My mum took after her and my dad followed.”  
“No wonder Armin’s so smart,” Eren muttered to himself. “But how did your parents meet?”  
“My parents were childhood friends. They grew up together and joined the military together. They’ve always done everything together, like two halves of a whole. They’re why I believe soul mates exist,” Armin told him quietly.  
“So they were always in love, huh?” Eren reflected. He glanced at Armin, who nodded.  
The blonde looked down as he picked up his strain of thought from that morning. His grandfather had told him all about how his parents had gotten together and what a beautiful relationship they had a few days before and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. The older man had stated that he could tell the two were going to be married someday by the time they were Armin’s age, just because they were so close and obviously compatible. His mother had a driving spirit and a powerful thirst for knowledge and his father was a devout protector of morals and the betterment of humanity, granting them a harmonious partnership for working together to better the world. They were best friends, partners, and lovers, and nothing could shake the foundation of their marriage.  
As their story sank in more, Armin realised how much his relationship with Eren resembled theirs. They were best friends both working towards a goal, both driven by their own beliefs but designed to work two different positions to make up a united force. And as he turned it over in his mind, he had finally understood why he always felt so certain that he and Eren would be together for a long time to come: they were compatible partners. And while they may never end up as lovers like his parents did, like how their relationship was starting to suggest, they still worked together perfectly.  
“Armin?” Eren called, waking the blonde up from his thoughts. His mind had been in a haze for a few days now as he drug out the evidence behind his thinking, but as he looked at the smiling brunet, he snapped out of it.  
And yet, as he looked at the brilliant green eyes of his best friend, he knew just as certainly that he wanted to be Eren’s boyfriend someday. Perhaps that would change along the way, but his best friend was the only person he could ever imagine staying but his side, even in the romantic sense.  
Eren raised an eyebrow at Armin’s lack of response but ultimately ignored this and grabbed his hand. Tugging at Armin’s arm, he led the blonde back towards his home.  
“So what’s that book about anyway?” Eren questioned, looking at the tome still clutched in Armin’s grasp.  
“It’s a journal of a man who used to travel the world a long time ago, before the titans. Grandpa said he went through all of these amazing adventures, ended up falling in love with an old friend of his, and his children wrote in later after his death that they inspired to travel too because of him,” Armin explained, holding up the blue book.  
“We’ll be that couple someday, Armin! We’ll get out from the walls and see everything and others will tell about us after our deaths. Hey, we’ve even already inspired Mikasa to come with us!” Eren exclaimed, picking up on the dream. To him, this had been the dream all along: to be with Armin and do amazing things together. To him, there was no question that he and Armin would be together for the rest of their lives and all of his romantic daydreams depicted the two boys getting married, the blonde playing the wife, of course, considering Eren’s humorous mind.  
“You realise that couple were husband and wife, right, Eren? They were in love,” Mikasa tried to correct. Eren was a bit dense at times, and she was unsure if he understood the implied romantic relationship or not.  
“I know! That’s what I said, didn’t I? Armin and I are going to be like those two, and his parents. Childhood friends always fall in love,” Eren rebutted. Mikasa shrugged and went back to leading the way home, wondering a little if Eren and Armin would end up together in that way.  
But when she glanced back at them, she didn’t doubt that them becoming a couple was likely. The two were still holding hands and Armin was looking at the brunet as though Eren had said the most wonderful thing ever.  
The realisation of the two boys’ relationship changed Mikasa’s thoughts of them very little. She came to think of herself as a sister of Eren and Armin, and as their protector, she just wanted the trio to be happy as a whole. Even with their relationship blooming, she knew they would never leave her out, even when it seemed like it; they all loved each other the same amount, even if it was a different kind of love.  
To Eren, his dream was to travel with Armin by his side. His confidence let him overlook the confusion Armin went through, trying to figure out if they could ever be in a relationship. To Armin, his feelings were now defined and, knowing the stories of his parents and the people of long gone times, he was sure that they were definitely not too young to have already found their soul mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos, guys!


	6. Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reflection of the losses the trio survived through after the Colossal Titan.

And it was like a flame, engulfing their world and burning it to ashes. A flame that swallowed almost everything they knew and loved and left nothing but the sorrowful ashes. Nothing but the foundations to build another, more difficult life.  
Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlelt huddled together in the vacant and cold hallway, vaguely aware of the squalor that the other refugees were making. They had left the Shinganshina district, their hometown, only a few days before, having been forced to leave because of the Colossal Titan. Their lives had been changed dramatically and now the trio only had each other in the world. Each had fresh scars on their souls, and two of them were just now starting to feel the tugging of the dead ones that haunted them.  
Tucked underneath his shirt, the golden key his father had given him was the last connection Eren had to his parents. His mind still played the nightmare of seeing the Colossal Titan kicking in the wall and letting in the other titans. His waking thoughts were still regularly disturbed by the image of his mother’s blood staining the ground and dribbling down the cruel smile of the monster that had eaten her with such relish. Her last words yelling at him to run echoed in his ear, his subconscious formulated the sound of her bones crunching under the titan’s teeth. His tear stains on the blanket that he slept on uncomfortably each night were the result of all the happy times he had had with his mother flashing behind his eyes. He was, in a single word, haunted. And his father’s absence made matters worse. Eren was never truly sure if his father was dead or alive, or what happened to him after he gave his son the key. The only thing he comprehended about his father was that his mother’s death affected him just as much. Eren was still heavily influenced by his parents’ absence, and this would continue to tug on his mind, his hopes and fears, for years to come.  
Mikasa, on the other hand, had a connection to her parents that could never be lost. Even though a few years had passed, the marks that her mother had etched into her wrist were still there. The emblem of her family was now a faded and familiar scar, there to remind her of whom she was, where she had come from. But it also served as the trigger to the painful memory of seeing her parents being slaughtered by robbers, of her being kidnapped and almost sold off. She did her best to replace the meaning of the pain with the happiness of meeting Eren and gaining control over herself. Her parents passing never stopped shadowing her life, but there was a wound much fresher now that distracted her. She had thought that Dr. and Mrs. Jaeger would be there for her, would continue to be her family. And yet she had lost her family a second time, and Eren’s mother’s death haunted her just as much as it did Eren. The new wound was fresh, it stung, and now it was just her, Eren, and Armin. But, she knew that she could survive with those two, if no one else, and she was grateful to have them. She was at home with Eren, who had given her his red scarf, who had saved her from the robbers. And now she had just as much reason to feel at home with Armin, the weak one who had gone out of his way to alert Hannes to save her and Eren. The pain of losing even more family affected her deeply, but she knew with the two boys by her side, she could maintain herself and fight to live.  
Armin clutched his blue jacket closer around his small frame, receiving the news of his parents and grandfather over again in his mind. A few months before the Colossal Titan struck, his parents had been sent outside the wall on a mission to collect more information about titans again. They were always placed in the centre as they were out there to gain knowledge, not to fight or protect, so they had always come home to Armin unscathed and eager to tell him of the world outside and the titans. The mission they were sent on just recently was like any other, with them being placed in the centre under superior protection. The group was small and though they were superb soldiers, their organisation disbanded and titans breached the formation. Those around them fought to draw them off but in the end, the Arlelt couple succumbed to the titans. A few days after their death, Armin came home from a long day playing with Eren and Mikasa to find his grandfather unusually sombre. In the darkening evening and oppressive silence, his grandfather told him the news of his parents. He slept next to his grandfather that night and spent the next day with him, declining Eren and Mikasa as he took in the shock of his loss. After a couple of days he told his friends and they helped him pull through, giving him comfort, a shoulder to cry on, and later on, he coped with their disappearance by advocating his dreams of the outside world even more, enough to land him in a couple of fights. He wore the blue jacket that was too large for him often, as it was his father’s at one time, a gift to his father from his mother.  
In his hand, Armin also held the hat his grandfather had given him. His grandfather had done so much for the trio once they had escaped Shinganshina. He had gotten them bread and made sure the three were all right, kept them protected. He had tried until the very end to comfort them over the endless deaths and make sure they were going to be ready when he had to leave. The royals had announced the intention to send a good portion of the refugees out to reclaim the land lost to the titans, and it was no surprise when Mr. Arlelt was told he would be going. He was their last guardian, and it hurt them all when he left, Armin definitely the most.  
“Hey, kids, they have the list up of all those who died by the royals’ orders,” a passing soldier deadpanned.  
Armin stood up, trembling, and dodged in and out of the crowd surrounding the several pieces of parchment tacked onto the surrounding wall of the courtyard. Mikasa and Eren fought their way through to follow him and got to him just in time to see his wide blue eyes land on his grandfather’s name. The blonde made it just to the fringe of the crowd before he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his pale cheeks.  
Grimacing, Mikasa and Eren helped Armin back to their place in the hallway and silently acknowledged the fact that they were now alone in the world. Mikasa held Armin’s hand as Eren embraced the blonde, kissing him on the forehead.  
And just like that their previous lives crumbled, like a flame engulfing the world. Their past had abandoned them completely with the sweet grandfather’s death and the trio only had each other now. The flame may have shattered their previous world, but they began to form a more hopeful one from the ashes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know Armin's parents were sent to die in the recovery mission but I saw the anime first so its stuck in my mind that it was Armin's grandfather instead and his parents were already absent. We don't really know anything about the parents, I just like thinking that they were a lot like Armin and such.


	7. Formal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trainee squad throws a formal party and Eren picks a fight with Jean.

The past few years had been long, but finally the trio was looking at the barracks and fields of the trainee camp. Never ending days of hard labour and starvation, loneliness and depression, but they had pulled through. There were times when it was bleak, where the Military Police frayed their nerves as the reminder of the dead haunted them. And now they were finally able to join the military and begin working towards their revenge on the titans, towards making up for their parents’ death.  
“I can’t believe we’re old enough to be wearing one of these jackets. It seems like the wait would never end,” Armin commented, holding the tan jacket up. Shedding the light blue jacket he was finally growing into, he slipped on the uniform. Armin turned back to Eren and Mikasa to find them both dressed up in the harness and jacket as well.  
“Ahahaha, looking good, Armin!” Eren laughed, blushing slightly and clapping his hand on the blonde’s shoulder. Armin rolled his eyes and pushed the brunet away. “Well, it’s true!” Eren insisted, wrapping his arm around his friend’s shoulder and kissing him on the temple.  
“Hey, lovebirds, pay attention,” Mikasa deadpanned, nodding towards a couple of fellow trainees after fixing her red scarf back into place. Next to her stood a boy and girl, both sweet but shy looking. The black haired boy smiled at them, friendly, while the short girl with long blonde hair cocked her head to the side and stepped forward.  
“I’m Christa Renz and that’s Marco Bodt,” she introduced, pointing towards herself. They had introduced themselves at dinner the first night at the camp but it was expected that others would forget your name quickly with so many trainees. “Marco had this really cool idea last night at dinner that we should throw a party after training tomorrow, you know, to get to know each other. All considering, we will be working with each other for the next few years so we might as well make friends!”  
“Anyway, it’s going to be in the common room tomorrow if you want to stop by,” Marco smiled quickly, obviously trying to hurry up so that they weren’t taking up the trio’s time.  
“Oh, and it’s formal so wear something nice! This is supposed to be our real first impression of each other,” Christa added before Marco led the way to the next group of soldiers.  
“We are going, right?” Armin asked the other two after Christa and Marco had left.  
“Yeah, I guess,” Eren shrugged, returning to fixing up his uniform.  
The next day Eren held open the door to the common room for Armin and Mikasa and together the trio entered. Eren disregarded the notion that the party was formal and instead showed up in his usual shirt and black pants. Mikasa and Armin, on the other hand, registered the requirement for the party and had on fresh clothes. Mikasa wore her white dress with a jean jacket and Armin sported his button down shirt and black vest. With her long, raven black hair Mikasa turned a lot of heads when she joined the party while Armin’s new refined look sure caught Eren’s attention, who now kicked himself for not dressing up better.  
“You guys made it. Come on!” Christa greeted them, grabbing Eren and Mikasas’ hands and pulling them into the group. Armin followed naturally and soon he and Christa had struck up a conversation. Mikasa hung back a bit, clinging to Eren. She was never really social but Eren was so she let him do the talking.  
“Hey, you’re the kid from the Shinganshina district, right?” someone asked Eren. Once it had gotten around that the trio were from the district where the Colossal Titan struck, they were always being bothered by other trainees whenever they had free time. It had gotten old fast to Mikasa and Armin, but Eren took every chance to declare to everyone else that someday he would slay all of the titans.  
“Yes, but before you ask, the Colossal Titan was only so tall,” Eren answered immediately. Most of the conversations went the same way: it was all about the Colossal Titan.  
“What? You have to call attention to yourself every time we aren’t in training? And you’re not going to free humanity from the titans, that’s impossible,” another trainee spoke up, approaching the brunet.  
“Er, Jean, perhaps not now,” Marco appeared at the boy’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
“Hang on, Marco, this guy just needs to come to reality,” Jean pushed his friend away.  
“What, and you live in reality! You’re so determined to live your life in the Military Police, where they live a sheltered life and don’t even know what a titan looks like! But, hey, you’ll fit in perfectly in the police considering you already have the hot headedness trait down perfectly!” Eren mocked, approaching Jean.  
“Yeah, and you’ll fit perfectly in the Scouting Legion, a suicidal freak!”  
“Ah, whatever, perhaps I shouldn’t be wasting time on someone who is going to be a coward and live far behind the walls! At least my life will mean something, at least when I join and start slaying titans I will be making the deaths of those before me worth it. But you, you will only promote greed, nothing you do will ever contribute to the good of others. You’re selfish!” Eren shouted.  
Gritting his teeth, Jean rushed towards the brunet, fist raised, while Eren braced himself to knock down his opponent. But before either boy could lay their hands on the other, Mikasa stepped in between them, thrusting the two farther apart. She glared at both until Jean and Eren backed down a bit so that Armin and Marco could pull the two enemies away.  
“Jean, what are you thinking? You could get into some serious trouble for fighting,” Marco quietly scolded his friend. With Marco urging him to give up the fight, Jean walked away, still shaking his head.  
“You’ll understand someday, Jaeger!” Jean called back once more before sitting down next to Marco at one of the tables.  
“Come on Eren, just let him go. You said it yourself, he’s not worth your time,” Armin soothed, pulling Eren back a bit from the rest of the party. “Let it go, Eren.”  
“I can’t, Armin, how can someone be so ignorant?” Eren grumbled, exasperated.  
“Eren, you’re here to train as a soldier, not pick fights with others. Now unless you want to get kicked out of here I suggest you behave yourself,” Mikasa cautioned.  
“Not you, too, Mikasa! What if everyone had Jean’s attitude? What if no one fought?”  
“Well if Jean doesn’t cooperate it’s probably best that he doesn’t want to join the Scouting Legion anyway. People who don’t want to fight would be useless to the Legion. So give it a rest,” Mikasa argued calmly.  
“I understand why Jean would be useful, though. His physique and skills, he would make a good enough soldier, useful to the military. But if someone doesn’t have the motivation to fight, they won’t do as well. Perhaps you should try motivating Jean and not just making him argue against you. It will make him stay away from you and the Scouting Legion, Eren,” Armin reasoned.  
“You want start anymore fights, right, Eren?” Mikasa asked.  
“No,” Eren gave in.  
Mikasa sighed and turned back to the party, dragging Eren with her. She set the brunet in front of Christa and Marco and had him apologise for his disruption, in which Marco apologised back on Jean’s behalf.  
“Mikasa’s never going to notice me if she’s always playing mum for Eren. And she probably has a bad taste in her mouth for me now,” Jean commented to Marco, a bit frustrated.  
“Ah, don’t say that, Jean. Besides, you still have me!” Marco laughed, slinging his right arm over Jean’s shoulders and grinning. Jean grinned back at Marco and the two spent the rest of the night chatting.  
The party went off without a hitch for the rest of the night and when they returned to the barracks, Armin seemed fairly happy after conversing with Christa and Marco and a few of the others. When the blonde was lying down in the space next to him, Eren turned to Armin and caught his attention.  
“It was pretty stupid of me to pick a fight, huh?” Eren asked Armin. “I didn’t start any the entire time we were in the landfill and now just a few days into our training and I’ve already been in a fight with Jean two times now.”  
“It’s in your nature, Eren, you’re always fighting. Are you sure you just don’t want him as a friend? You seem to be trying pretty hard to convince him that the Scouting Legion isn’t a useless cause,” Armin responded.  
“Jean as a friend? No! He’s stubborn and arrogant!” Eren complained.  
“He also has that criminal look in his eye, doesn’t he?” Armin observed. Eren turned to look at Armin, not used to hearing that kind of insult from the blonde. “What? You do too, Eren.”  
Eren shook his head, “Only I’m fighting for a purpose.”  
“Come on, Eren, not now. Save it for you friend Jean.”  
“Hey, he’s not my friend. Armin, you are, you’re my best friend,” Eren protested. Armin laughed to himself quietly before turning to Eren.  
“That’s because you can’t make any friends with that attitude,” Armin chuckled.  
“Hey! Will the two lovebirds shut up?!” Connie Springer shouted at them from a few rows over.  
Eren snorted before kissing Armin on the cheek and falling asleep. Of course, this doesn’t mean Eren ever stopped fighting with his new friend Jean.


	8. Companions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy birthday wish turns into an awkward situation for Jean and Armin expresses doubts of his relationship with Eren.

“Happy birthday, Mikasa!” Armin and Eren cheered in unison when they saw the raven haired girl that morning. “Thirteen already, eh? You’re getting old, Mikasa!” Eren teased.  
“It’s not that big of a deal, Eren. Why do you two always make such a big deal of it?” Mikasa responded, pushing the duo towards the dining hall for breakfast.  
“Because it’s your birthday! This day is supposed to be all about you,” Armin smiled at her. “It’s an excuse for us to celebrate you and everything you do for us.”  
“Wow, Armin, you two don’t celebrate Mikasa every single day?” Connie Springer joked, running up behind them and quickly wishing the black haired girl a good day.  
With some force Mikasa finally got the two boys moving again, after trying to shoo off Connie. They grabbed their breakfast and sat in their usual spot. At this point, the trio had fallen silent so the brunette thought that the others had lost interest in celebrating the birthday when Eren suddenly stood up on the dining table. Mikasa immediately leaped up and tried to drag him down but he simply moved out of the way, further down the table. He sat in front of Jean and cupped his hands to his mouth so to amplify his resulting shouts.  
“Hey, everyone shut up and sing happy birthday to Mikasa! It’s the least you can do for the one who demonstrates how to correctly use the 3D Manoeuvre Gear! Considering most of you sorry fools can’t figure out anything for yourself!” Eren yelled to the crowd. When he saw Jean flinch from the high pitched tone of his voice Eren smirked and “accidentally” knocked over his cup.  
Though several of the faces in the hall showed their registration of being insulted by the brunet, this only lasted for a second as Eren counted off the song and began. A few of the trainees really took the lead in singing, perhaps not because they knew Mikasa well but because of their enjoyment of a fun time. Marco and Reiner definitely turned out to be the most enthusiastic, with Bertholt joining in nervously at times and a few, such as Annie, refused to join. In their corner, Ymir wrapped her arm around Christa and the two sang together, cups raised in their hands. Sasha did her best to sing in between mouthfuls and Connie sang loudly, almost obnoxiously, next to her. And Jean, who had jumped closer to Marco, who sat on his right, when Eren knocked over his glass, swallowed his anger and joined the singing when Marco elbowed him. Besides, he still wanted to make a good impression.  
“Happy birthday, Mikasa!” Eren yelled at the very end of the tune, waving at his adoptive sister. The brunette blushed slightly and nodded towards the rest of the room.  
“Ah, come on, Mikasa, its only once a year,” Armin grinned, trying to relieve her embarrassment.  
“Well, you’re having a good day so far, right? It sucks that there’s training today but, hey, I bet you enjoy training anyway!” Reiner greeted her, slipping an extra loaf of bread on her tray. “Snuck this from the tray, but you’re worth it,” he winked.  
“Mikasa?” Sasha interrupted, sitting next to her and looking at her with pleading eyes. ”I’ll sing happy birthday for you again! Please!”  
“Oh, just take it and please, don’t sing,” Mikasa sighed, exasperatedly. She handed Sasha the extra bread, who wasted no time in stuffing her mouth.  
“Sasha, come on, stop stealing food from her just this once,” Connie reprimanded.  
“But I asked for it!”  
“You’re not supposed to, not today! Happy b-day, Mikasa, for today I’m giving you the gift of getting Sasha away from you,” Connie promised, tugging the girl back to their table.  
After them Marco scooted in next to Mikasa, smiling and wishing her a good day. Jean stood awkwardly behind him, but remained silent until the black haired boy kicked him lightly in the ankle.  
“Oh, uh, hey Mikasa,” Jean said quietly, losing the brunette’s interest quickly.  
“Jean wants to ask you something!” Marco sang, grinning.  
“Marco! Shut up, will you? I thought you were my friend,” Jean protested, rubbing at the back of his neck.  
“I am, I am, that’s why I’m going to do you a favour,” Marco waved off. “As I was saying, Mikasa…”  
Gritting his teeth, Jean lunged at Marco and wrapped his hand around the other’s mouth. Kneeling over him on the bench, he glared at Marco, willing him to keep quiet. But Marco just chuckled, the sound muffled, and knocked Jean’s hand aside.  
“Jean wants to know if you would…” Marco started.  
“If you would go out with me!” Jean interrupted, not wanting Marco to be the one to ask her. “It’s just, I’ve been meaning to ask you out for a while and Marco told me to get it over with, whether forcefully.”  
“Jean, did you just ask Mikasa out?” Armin asked, surprised. He leant back to see around Marco and look at Mikasa, who had tucked her red scarf over her mouth a bit. Her eyebrows were raised but otherwise she seemed primarily uninterested.  
“Wait, what?” Eren piped up suddenly. He jumped down from the dining table at last and walked up to Jean. “Why did Armin just ask if you asked out Mikasa?”  
“Well, he did ask out Mikasa!” Marco smiled.  
“I feel like you want me to get murdered by this suicidal freak,” Jean muttered to his friend.  
“Ah, come on, Jean, what’s the worst that could have happened by asking out Mikasa?” Marco brushed off, disregarding his friend once more.  
“And what makes you think you’re good enough for our Mikasa?!” Eren interrogated Jean. The brunet glared at the other trainee, stepping closer to him and pulling back his shoulders. He was ready to fight, and he didn’t have any problems with fighting Jean. In fact, he would relish it.  
“Eren, we don’t own Mikasa. If she wants to go out with him, let her,” Armin tried to reason with his friend, grabbing Eren’s hand.  
“But Armin, look at this loser. Mikasa deserves a lot better than him. Why should we let Mikasa ruin her life by letting this guy in?” Eren disputed, keeping eye contact with Jean.  
“Look, Eren, I meant no offense. If Mikasa wants me to leave, I will, but I want to hear it from her first.” Jean held his ground and pulled his shoulders up, too.  
“Hm, sorry Jean, I didn’t think Eren would actually come and murder you,” Marco shrugged. Seeing another sensible person, Armin sat beside Marco and watched the scene play out.  
“I thought you and Jean were a thing, or something,” Armin asked Marco, quietly enough so that the others wouldn’t overhear.  
“Ah, he knows how I feel. But, he seems to have a bit of a crush on Mikasa. I’m sure that once he gets an answer he’ll either be happy with her for a while or back down and get over it. He’s sensible enough, but just not around Eren,” Marco explained.  
“Well, he’s going to have to deal with Eren a lot more if Mikasa says yes. Anyway, hopefully someday he realised how great you are, Marco,” Armin smiled.  
“Eren, enough! Both of you,” Mikasa interrupted eventually. A few minutes of Eren and Jean bickering over what was best for the brunette and everyone was tired of it. “This isn’t your fight, Eren. I can handle myself. And Jean, I can’t be with someone who rejects my brother.”  
“I get along with Armin all right,” Jean argued to himself.  
“If you’re not mature enough to not pick a fight with Eren, you should probably wait a bit before you can get into a relationship,” Mikasa told him. She then picked up her tray and headed outside.  
“I can’t believe her refusal was caused by that brat. I’m sorry but not everyone can get along with that suicidal weirdo,” Jean shook his head. Rolling his eyes, Eren ran after Mikasa.  
“I know he comes off a bit strong, Jean, but Eren isn’t really all that bad,” Armin piped up.  
“Ah, that’s just because you’re his boyfriend,” Jean waved off.  
“Yeah, Jean, just take a page out of Armin’s book and do Eren a favour. He’ll probably like you a lot better,” Reiner laughed from the table behind them, where he had heard a good portion of the conversation.  
“Reiner!” Armin yelped, blushing redly when Marco and Jean burst out laughing.  
“Its okay, Armin, we know you don’t do that,” Marco assured after the chuckling had subsided.  
“So what do you think of me asking Mikasa out, Armin?” Jean asked. Jean and Marco had made friends with Armin quickly and the blonde had no dispute with talking to them, even if Eren hated one of them.  
“It was obvious that it would happen eventually. You always act differently around her, more attentive or something. But I can’t really imagine Mikasa being in a relationship. She has so much else to do with her life, she’s going to be great someday,” Armin told him.  
“She’s already great. But, yeah, you’re right; I didn’t think she would go for it either. I have to ask, how does it always work out so well with Mikasa when you and Eren are a thing?”  
“For one thing, we’re not together. I thought maybe someday we would be together, but I don’t know about Eren anymore. He dotes on me, but he always has. And besides, he and Mikasa are really close nowadays. I don’t know how he feels,” Armin answered shyly. “Otherwise, I’ve been friends with those two since we were kids, we’re family. It always just works out.”  
“He does pay just as much attention to Mikasa. Ah, he’ll come around eventually, Armin,” Marco said, grinning.  
“So you guys are all just friends then,” Jean said, more to himself. It was known that Mikasa was Eren’s adoptive sister, but everyone expected Eren to either end up with one of the two. He did dote on both of them, being protective over Mikasa and sweet with Armin, and the occasional kiss Eren gave Armin were fewer these days, which is why even Armin was unsure.  
“The best of friends,” Armin grinned. Hearing the bell, the three dropped off their trays and joined the rest of the trainees outside, leaving their questioning of the relationships out of their mind for the rest of the day.


	9. Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean and Marco find a new meaning to their relationship after old feelings are forgotten and a misconception is smoothed out between Eren and Armin.

A few months after Mikasa’s birthday, Armin sat with Jean and Marco in the common room while Eren and Mikasa were taking care of their 3D manoeuvre gear. The evening was wearing on and it was quickly becoming dark outside.  
“So do you still have that crush on Mikasa?” Armin asked awkwardly. There was never a doubt that Eren and Mikasa were Armin’s best friends, but over time he became close to Jean and Marco as well. They hung out together frequently when Eren wasn’t present so evenings after dinner became their time together at least a couple of times a week, since Jean was in a better mood when he wasn’t picking a fight with Eren or vice versa.  
“No, I guess having her reject me let me move on from that,” Jean related to him.  
Armin glanced over at Marco, who obviously still had a crush on Jean, to see if the raven haired boy already knew about Jean’s feelings. The three didn’t talk about relationships often, more in favour of discussing the theoretic lessons or complaining about the amount of work and rudeness of the 3D manoeuvre gear instructor. When relationships did come up, the discussion never lasted long, and Marco forcing Jean to ask out Mikasa was only prompted because the blond had commented on Mikasa often the night before her birthday, enough to wear Marco out about the silent girl. But now that Jean’s crush on Mikasa seemed to be subsiding, Marco’s eyes lighted up and he attempted to hide his smile now that he had a better chance at bringing his friend into a relationship with him. Noting Marco’s newfound cheerfulness, Armin contemplated making an excuse to leave and give Marco a chance.  
“So anyone else you have a crush on now, Jean? You seem pretty fixed on starting a relationship,” Armin asked, nonchalantly. He did well at seeming like he was asking purely out of interest on how Jean’s mind worked.  
“Oh, yeah, kinda,” Jean answered shyly, rubbing the back of his neck as he always did when he was nervous. Beside him, Marco raised his eyebrows slightly and waited to see if Jean continued, but he kept silent after his last comment.  
“Who? Maybe I can help you ask them out like I did with Mikasa,” Marco offered, smiling. He knew Jean’s rather low self-esteem and shy, even if a bit aggressive, nature, kept him from asking others out so the black haired boy wanted to help him communicate with other people so that he could gain some confidence, and he perceived tricking Jean into asking out Mikasa as nothing more than doing his job.  
“No, I really need to learn how to do this on my own,” Jean sighed, removing his hand from his neck and tapping his fingers on his knee instead. “Look, Marco, I just wanted to ask—“  
“Will you go out with me, Jean?” Marco rushed, closing his eyes. Armin, who sat in between the two, quickly stepped off the bench and backed away to give them some privacy. While they discussed things, he went over and picked up a book he had checked out from the library earlier, but even then he accidentally heard the first part of their conversation.  
“For someone who helped me ask out Mikasa so smoothly, you really suck at asking out people yourself,” Jean chuckled, turning to Marco. “I was just about to ask you the same thing, so I’m going to go with yes. I’ll go out with you.”  
Marco smiled at Jean and a few minutes later they waved Armin back over. This time Marco was in the middle and the newly found couple held hands.  
“So I take it you two are together now?” Armin grinned, silently congratulating Marco since he knew the black haired boy had been waiting for a chance for so long.  
“Yeah, it turns out Jean has had a crush on me for a couple of weeks now but didn’t want to make our relationship weird in case I declined,” Marco grinned.  
“You get over crushes kinda fast, Jean,” Armin observed, raising an eyebrow.  
“Aha, well, you know… So how are things with you and Eren? Any improvement?” Jean asked quickly, changing the subject. It was easy to tell as time went on that Jean really did love Marco, but he was just one of those people who got over crushes like the one on Mikasa whether fast.  
Armin looked down and shook his head, shrugging. He was still just as confused about how Eren felt.  
“You know, Mikasa told me a few weeks ago that Eren loves you too. She told me to wait a while before I told you but since you can’t see how he looks at you when you’re not paying attention to him, I might as well tell you,” Marco grinned.  
¬¬¬  
“Mikasa, did you ever actually consider going out with Jean?” Eren asked as he helped Mikasa clean her manoeuvre gear.  
“No,” she answered simply.  
“So do you like someone else then? I mean, a lot of other people in our class have gotten into relationships. Just look at Reiner and Bertholt.”  
“No, Eren, I don’t like anyone here like that. Why are you asking?” Mikasa questioned, looking at the brunet.  
“Someone called you my girlfriend today,” Eren said quietly.  
“Eren, that happens almost every day, just ignore them. They tease Armin about being your boyfriend too and he never reacts.”  
“They do? Armin never told me the others said that kind of thing. It seemed like they only thought you and me are together,” Eren looked up, surprised.  
“No, Reiner jokes a lot about Armin being your boyfriend, and Jean actually believed you two were together,” Mikasa corrected. “Why are you so concerned about all of this suddenly?”  
“I just don’t want them saying we’re together anymore,” Eren brushed off.  
“But you don’t mind them saying that you and Armin are together. Look, Eren, I know you like Armin,” Mikasa began.  
“Mikasa—“  
“And Marco told me a few weeks ago that Armin likes you too. I thought eventually you two would figure it out and get together but obviously not.”  
“Why are you telling me this now?!” It took Eren by surprise that Armin had a crush on him. They were always together when they were younger but nowadays the blonde always seemed to be hanging out with Marco and Jean, so he assumed he liked one of those two, which only made Eren hate Jean even more on top of him asking out Mikasa. Eren had always known he loved Armin, but when the blonde started talking to other people, he tried to refrain from doting over Armin as much so that he was free to be with whoever he wanted. The brunet would have hated to think that he was holding his friend back from someone he actually loved. But now that he knew Armin loved him back, all he wanted to do was rush to Armin’s side and be with him.  
“You’re my brother, Eren, my best friend. I just want you and Armin to be happy and safe,” Mikasa told him.  
¬¬¬  
“Come on, we’re going to be late,” Marco warned, dragging Armin and Jean after him to the boys’ barracks. They tried to adhere to the regulations and that meant being in the barracks by curfew. Of course, after curfew several of the trainees would sneak back out, but it was best to be in bed when the instructors checked the rooms a few minutes after the bell rang.  
The three made it inside a few minutes before the bell and Marco immediately drug Armin over to where Eren waited at their shared bunk bed. The space in the barrack was configured so that there were two trainees to a bunk bed and when they chose their bed, Eren and Armin stuck together since they knew no one else. Once he had deposited the blonde next to the ladder up to the top bed, Marco slipped back to Jean.  
“Armin,” Eren greeted, offering his hand to help the blonde up the last step. Armin lingered at the foot of the bed, legs tucked underneath him and hands clasped in his lap. He blushed slightly and held his thumb nail between his teeth as he contemplated how to go about asking Eren out.  
“Marco asked Jean out today; he said yes,” Armin told him quietly.  
“Finally, I’m glad that narcissist isn’t paying attention to Mikasa anymore,” Eren smirked.  
“And then Marco told me something after that and I just wanted to ask—“  
“Yeah we can be a couple now, Armin,” Eren interrupted, taking Armin by surprise. “Mikasa told me that Marco told her that you like me. I suppose he told you I like you back.”  
“Yeah, he did, so we’re together now then? You weren’t more interested in Mikasa?” Armin asked, leaning forward and trying to hide a smile like how Marco did earlier that evening.  
“No! Armin, she’s my sister, and it’s Mikasa,” Eren dismissed immediately, so tired of the rumours. “And yes, Armin, who else could I possibly be with?”  
“Then why did you start to pull away from me? Why didn’t you tell me we were together earlier?” Armin continued, confused by his friend’s sudden confession of feelings after so long.  
“Well, you started hanging out with Marco and Jean and I thought you had a crush on one of them! I didn’t want to get in your way, I mean, we aren’t kids anymore,” the brunet protested, furrowing his eyebrows. “I guess we both had misconceptions on who liked who.”  
In response Armin simply smiled and crawled up next to his friend, now his boyfriend. He grabbed Eren’s hand and kissed him on the cheek, then pulled him down into bed next to him. The small boy curled up at his friend’s side and kept a tight hold on his hand.  
“So you still had feelings for me all this time? I mean, I never stopped loving you, Armin; I was always so sure we would end up together someday. It concerned me when it looked like you were getting close to Jean,” Eren asked the blonde quietly.  
“No, I never stopped loving you, Eren. I thought you had grown out of your feelings for me. And is that why you’re so against Jean? Because you’re jealous?” Armin answered.  
“Yeah, I don’t want you to leave me, Armin. I need you by my side and we’ll travel the world and be together,” Eren said, yawning.  
“Forever.”


	10. Silver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in a local village turns into an important event for Eren and Armin.

"Its not surprising that Mikasa ranked first but did you see Jean's face when I graduated with a rank above his?!" Eren laughed, smiling proudly and even more triumphant after being able to win over a few of the trainees to the Scouting Legion with his speech the night of graduation. It was a couple of days after graduation and soon the trainees would begin regular patrol and then go on to pick their faction in the military. The brunet walked along the hall from the mess hall back to the boys' barracks with Armin. They would be meeting with Mikasa later to spend their few days off together.   
It had been a while since Eren and Armin had started dating and the relationship between Jean and Marco was just as strong. Those two were busy celebrating now that they had both passed at the top of the class and could go on to join the Military Police. They planned a peaceful and rich life for years to come for themselves, Jean often commenting how they would have a study supply of food while Marco dwelled on his allegiance to the king that he had begun spouting several years before. The black haired boy really was a nice boy after all, and he couldn't imagine that the king didn't care about the soldiers risking their lives for humanity, but he also never denied that the quality of life would be far better for him in the police than anywhere else.  
"Eren, please stop bashing on Jean so much, he's my friend too. And he's like you in that he's honest too, its just that he wants a peaceful life in the walls and you want to help humanity. You can't be mad at him for having self-preservation," Armin requested. He knew it wasn't likely that Jean and Eren would ever stop fighting but he didn't exactly want to talk about the two enemies' relationship when he was a friend to both.   
The brunet knew that and tried to refrain from talking about Jean a whole lot around Armin, instead saving it for Mikasa or some other unsuspecting trainee. But for the last couple of days Eren was excited, understandably enough, with their graduation and upcoming chance to join the Scouting Legion and fulfill their mission. And he was also nervous. Ever since Armin and Mikasa announced that they both were planning to join the Legion with him, he had grown a bit anxious. When they were younger they always talked about joining and fighting together, but after the Colossal Titan and the death of his mother, Eren began to realise that he really didn't want them fighting with him. He would take the chance alone, he was ready for it, but he couldn't ask his friends to go with him, he didn't want them in danger. At least he felt a lot better about Mikasa fighting, since she was so skilled at everything physical, she could take care of herself, but Armin concerned him in way of fighting titans. With his brilliance, the blonde should have been shooting for a post suited more for him, one for such a skilled strategist like him, not out risking his life like he would be. So when he came to the conclusion that he should try and keep Armin from joining the Scouting Legion with him, he stopped talking to the blonde about the outside world, hoping that if they lost the dream they had together Armin wouldn't be as quick to join.  
"Look, Armin, I know it would suck if the three of us got separated, but maybe you should think harder about joining the Legion," Eren had approached the blonde the night before.  
"Eren, I'm joining the Scouting Legion, its my choice," Armin had stated briefly. He knew Eren would be trying to talk him out of it so he had been preparing to stay strong against Eren.  
"But you shouldn't be fighting, Armin, don't you realise what you're getting yourself into?" Eren had pressed, stopping Armin and grabbing his wrists.  
"Yes, Eren, I know, but this is still my choice."  
"I just worry about you," Eren had said quietly, hugging the blonde tightly to him.  
Armin and Eren had dropped the subject after that, the blonde feeling guilty for Eren's worrying about him and Eren trying to accept that the blonde could take care of himself just as much as the rest of the trio could. They weren't little kids anymore, and they would soon learn that Armin could do just as good a job at taking care of Mikasa and Eren as they could of him.  
The couple came to a stop in front of the boys' barracks and sat down on the front step.  
"You know what Armin, how about we do something today instead of just sitting around. We have all this free time now and we might as well do something fun before getting back to work," Eren suggested suddenly.  
"Okay, but what?" Armin asked. He had thought the same thing a couple of times but nothing ever came to him. Back in Shinganshina, there were always festivals or markets to go to, events to go see. But he knew very little of the town that was near the trainee camp. There was the landfill the trio used to work on a couple of miles away, and then a major town not far away from that. But there wasn't much out by the trainee camp except for a small village occupied primarily by farmers and local merchants.  
"Well, there's the forest and lake up the hill a bit, but I suppose it wouldn't be that fun for us to go hiking after training every day for so long. We could go check out that village right by us. A couple of the other trainees were talking about going over there and seeing about getting some better food than what the mess hall serves here," Eren said, pulling a disgusted face when he mentioned the mess hall. The food choice in the trainee camp was severely limited, but all villages were bound to have pubs so a few of the trainees would start pulling together funds to go out to eat.  
"I don't have much money but I'm sure between you, Mikasa, and me we can figure something out. Yeah, the village idea sounds great, Eren," Armin grinned.  
When Mikasa met them in front of the barracks she readily agreed to go explore the village and with a sufficient amount of money, they got into their street clothes and walked the short distance to the small cluster of shops. The marketplace wasn't large but it did have a good deal of wares and several vendors sold food for cheap. With what they had, the trio was able to swing enough food for themselves at one vendor and still have a fair amount left over.  
"So what are we gonna do with the rest of the money?" Eren asked, counting it over in his hand.  
"Perhaps we should save it for later, Eren," Armin advised, a bit worried about the brunet's lack of caution when it came to spending money.  
"No way, we were going to spend it anyway on food. We might as well get something nice while we're here. Things are pretty cheap in this village anyway; probably because its all handmade and the people around here are farmers," Eren continued. He glanced at the other vendors but nothing caught his eye until something silver reflected the afternoon sun brightly.  
"Hey, I'm going to go see something really quick. You two stay here and keep eating. And no one touch more food!" the brunet ordered abruptly.  
He walked over to the stand where he saw the silver and looked at the wares laid out. Several rings in gold and silver were lined up between rolls of material and ornate necklaces and bracelets hung from a hook. The sign read that it was a jewelry shop and the owner offered to engrave anything onto the jewelry for an additional fee. No prices were laid out and a lot of the displayed rings were far too expensive for Eren to afford, but he continued on anyway.  
"How much is this one?" the brunet asked the seller, pointing to the small silver band that had caught his attention.  
"50," the other said flatly.  
"I don't have that much. Uh, any way I can work it off?" Eren smiled nervously.  
"You one of the kids from the trainee camp?" In response, Eren nodded. "Fine, might as well give you some joy in your miserable life."  
After some negotiating, the vendor and Eren made a deal where the seller got half of the money the trio had pulled together and two hours of his service advertising the shop for two of the silver rings. He got through an hour of his job before he ran into trouble when Mikasa and Armin came looking for him.  
"Eren, what are you doing?" Mikasa asked, not really surprised to find Eren working for a vendor.  
"I accidentally broke one of his bracelets so I'm working it off now," Eren lied. Mikasa sighed and turned back to the other vendors, curious to see what else was there to offer. With her turning away, only Armin caught Eren looking down with his ears turning a bit red. The blonde decided to say nothing, fearing it might have been worse than what the brunet told them and not wanting to get involved.  
Another hour passed and twilight was upon them. The horizon was an array of red and orange as the sun set and long streaks of orange and pink streaked the darkening blue sky above. The vendors were starting to light torches and lanterns along the streets and the traders' houses nearby were being lit with candles as families sat down to dinner. With Eren's debt now paid off and the two silver rings clutched tightly in his hand, he ran off to find the rest of the trio.  
"We're going to get dinner and then head back. There was nothing else you wanted to see, right, Eren?" Armin informed him, pondering which seller they should go purchase dinner from.  
"Oh, yeah, okay, we can go wherever you guys want. I don't care. Er, since we aren't getting checked on by the instructors for a couple of days, wanna go up to the lake when we get back?" Eren requested.  
The brunet had not originally planned much for the day, except to go see the village with Armin and Mikasa. But now with the rings in his possession, he felt he was ready to ask Armin, and though he didn't have much to work with in terms of romance, he was pulling it together in his head pretty well for deciding on such short notice.  
After dinner the three headed back to camp and found their way along the beaten path to the large, clear lake surrounded by the forest. They sat on a cliff overhanging the site, enjoying the peacefulness of the scene around them with no interruptions. The sun had set and above them the stars were alight, all perfectly clear in the secluded spot away from the lights. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the rest after a rather long day and the great view itself.  
"Oh, hey, I was able to purchase a few things from that vendor I was working for," Eren told them, interrupting the silence. "I ended up spending all of the money we had but at least now we have something to remember today by."  
The brunet grinned and drew a small gold pin from his pocket and attached it to Mikasa's red scarf. The pin wasn't much, just a simple leaf, but he thought it looked nice and complemented Mikasa nicely. The brunette thanked him and made sure it was attached to the scarf securely before turning back to the lake. He then scooted over in front of Armin and took the silver rings out next.  
"So I really don't have a speech prepared for this or anything but I was able to get these today and I know I love you and wanna stay with you so, um..." Eren started nervously, holding up the ring meant for Armin.  
"A wedding ring?" Armin gasped, flustered. He hadn't expected anything like marriage so soon, and they were only fifteen, so there was no way they'd be legally able to get married anyway. The blonde blushed and stared at Eren wordlessly.  
"No, just an engagement ring. We can't get married yet, silly. But until then I want you to know that we're always gonna be together, no matter what," Eren corrected him.  
The blonde was still shocked and struggled to clear his mind and process the amazing question Eren had just posed. But he knew he loved his friend just as much as ever, and since that was all he needed to know, he held out his hand to Eren. The brunet slipped the silver ring on his boyfriend's hand, steadying him since the blonde was trembling, and put on the matching silver ring meant for him.  
The proposal was simple but to them, they were just glad to be together.  
Eren and Armin kissed and the three spent the rest of the night watching the stars.


	11. Prepared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friend is lost and Jean takes on a whole new life with the trio.

"Hey, Jean, since Mikasa and I couldn't help with cleaning up Trost and all, we still don't know who we lost during the battle. Anyone we know?" Armin called Jean over, pulling Mikasa along with him. The brunette didn't really want to hear the news, and she figured it would reach them by rumour anyway, but she tagged along with the blonde knowing that he was worried for the friends he had made in the trainee squad.  
"Yeah, Marco," he replied sullenly. He looked tired, shadows under his eyes, and the two got the impression that he had been battling depression from the empty look in his brown eyes. Everyone knew Jean and Marco were close, practically inseparable, and now without the raven haired boy by his side, Jean became hollow and lonely for a while after the battle.  
"What?! How?" Armin gasped, stepping closer to Jean. Marco had been a great friend to Armin, too, and hearing this hit him rather hard.  
"No one knows. I found him, alone, I didn't even notice when he went missing from me," Jean explained, his voice starting to shake. Armin nodded slowly, feeling tears prick in his deep blue eyes. He blinked them back and walked away, wanting to be alone for a few minutes.  
"So you have no idea what happened to him?" Mikasa asked a few minutes after Armin had left.  
"No, I mean, he had just saved me when my gear broke and then we had to start fighting again and I just, lost track of him," Jean sighed, shaking his head.  
"Look, I didn't know Marco very well but I know he cared a lot about you. He would've wanted you to go on and be happy," the brunette told him.  
"I know, that's why I'm joining the Scouting Legion."   
"Weren't you and Marco going to join the Military Police and stay safe behind the wall?"  
"Yeah but its not right after how he died."  
"I see," Mikasa nodded. She had gotten to know a few of the trainees as time went on, Jean included especially since he fought often with Eren and was a friend of Armin's. But even then, she tried to keep her distance for instances like this; she didn't want to feel the pain that accompanied losing someone dear to her any longer. And just keeping track of Eren was enough, especially now that the Scouting Legion and that short man had full responsibility of him.  
"This is how you felt, right, when you though you had lost Eren?" Jean asked after a while.  
"You've never lost anyone you've truly cared about have you," Mikasa replied flatly.  
"No, no, Marco was, his death is the worst thing that's ever happened to me," the blond choked. He covered his mouth with his hand and tried to blink back the tears.  
"Just keep fighting, Jean, he wouldn't forgive you if you stopped fighting."  
The brunette was about to turn away to go find Armin when Jean grabbed her by the wrist and hugged her. He was resolved to join the Scouting Legion and he was holding up even though he had just lost his love, but he still trembled with fright and sobbed in the depression of losing Marco that still lingered.  
"I'm sorry, I, I just can't," he sobbed quietly. Mikasa flinched back at first but seeing that there was no one else for him to turn to with Armin gone, she embraced him back, holding him until there were no more tears left. And after that, Jean was silently welcomed to join the trio. Because everyone missed Marco to some extent, even Eren. And with the black haired boy gone Jean was too focused on making him proud to worry about Eren, so no more fights ensued, a new aspect of their friendship that Eren respected.  
Marco's death had changed the four, perhaps for the better even if it was a terrible event. Armin had lost a good friend, one that could not be replaced, Jean had lost the first person who he cared more about than himself and changed his whole way of thinking. Eren lost an enemy but gained a friend that would help him, and Mikasa started to notice someone who would become a part of her family.  
And above all, Marco's death prepared them for the events to come in the Scouting Legion.


	12. Knowledge

_Images flashed quickly behind his eyelids, flickering in and out of sight in a shadowed haze until certain scenes could be picked out. The scenarios came and flew too fast for him, and yet dragged him along with them anyway, frightening him beyond relief. He tried pulling away, focusing on something else, but he was trapped, unable to be set free of the grim reminders._

_“We’ll be back soon, Armin,” his father grinned to him._

_“We love you, sweetie,” his mother kissed him on the forehead._

_He smiled, feeling a bit better with his parents by his side, and yet something seemed wrong. His parents’ eyes seemed a bit too hollow, too distant, too cold. Their grins seemed stretched out a bit too far and their skin too pale in comparison to the dark background. Everything was faded. As he watched them take a few steps away from him, waving, he waved back but his grin fell into a grimace._

_“Bye, Mum, bye, Dad,” he whispered to himself._

_The couple kept getting farther and farther away, still waving, still smiling so wide that it hurt the blonde just to watch. From his peripheral vision he caught a shadow moving and swiftly turned his gaze to it. A tall robed figure with a golden crown, rotund and flushed, facing Armin’s parents. It was laughing, a deep throaty laugh, and he tossed a couple of pieces of meat in his mouth every few seconds, chewing loudly in between chuckles and blood spilling down his clean shaven chin. A golden necklace with the emblems of the three walls covered his chest, over his purple, blood-stained robes. As he bit savagely into another piece of meat he pulled out a long rifle from his robe and slung it over his shoulder._

_“Wait, what are you doing?” Armin called to the crowned man. He pulled his blue jacket tighter around his small frame and ran towards the man, shouting and waving, darting worried glances toward his parents. But all of his cries were left unheeded for, no matter how loud the blonde cried, his voice was silent._

_The robed figure dropped the thick slices of meat he held onto the muddy ground, blood pooling around them. He stared forward and smiled cruelly as he stepped onto the meat without a second thought, as though the food he dropped wasn’t rare among the citizens of the land. His slightly raised and pointy heel dug into the meat until it turned an ash grey, the blood darkening and starting to dry into a crust along the ground._

_“For the good of the people!” the man proclaimed, chuckling heartily as he swung the rifle forward. His red lips pulled back into a thin smile and he pulled the trigger. Two shots._

_“We’ll see you soon, honey,” his mother grinned before the rusty bullet pierced her heart._

_Crimson red stained the ground and the trees behind his parents. They fell quietly with smiles still plastered on their white faces. The crowned man laughed and Armin raced to his defeated parents._

_“Mum! Dad!” Armin called, suddenly emitting sound after being cloaked in silence._

_He raced to them to find only one corpse left. He stared down upon himself, his own body, dead. His corpse had a light blush and the same wide grin tugging on his rosy lips. His bright blue eyes were open and the way they shone pointed to happiness, but the lifelessness of his eyes foretold true hollowness. A Scouting Legion uniform adorned his body and lei of flowers decorated his blonde hair, hiding a small hole where blood flowed through once. The right arm of his corpse was still locked into the salute._

_“Hey, kid,” the robed figure called. Armin turned to look at him, horrified as he saw the flushed face once more, grinning and stained in red. “You’ll be a big help soon enough.”_

_The man winked and shot the rifle. Armin reflexively flung his arms in front of his face and winced. But a few minutes after the shot rang out and he was still standing, the blonde realised it was a blank and looked back to the figure, but found him missing. The smoke given off by the blank shot filled the air and everything went dark, clouded in a mist. His corpse was slowly covered over in the fog and Armin came back a bit more to his senses._

_“Oi, Armin, I guess it’s time to go, eh?” his grandfather’s voice reached him. The blurry scene focused in due time and the blonde found himself clutching his grandfather’s hat and staring at the older man._

_“Huh? Grandpa where are you going?” he asked, raising his eyebrows._

_“Off to serve our great king,” the man said proudly, bringing forward a long rifle identical to the one of the robed figure._

_“But, Grandpa, you said the king did terrible things. You said he wanted us all ignorant of the truth!” Armin yelled, stepping towards his grandfather, who remained unchanged emotionally. He still had a pleasant grin fixed on his cracked lips and his eyebrows were raised, dark eyes twinkling below them._

_“Oh Armin, you’ll understand when you’re a bit older,” his grandfather grinned. He patted the blonde on his head and then turned to face another man. The robed figure once more, grinning widely._

_“Come with me. There’s something very important for you to do,” the man said, wrapping his arm around the grandfather’s shoulders._

_“Of course, king, my pleasure. Anything so that you can keep eating, sir.” Mr. Arlelt bowed to the king and followed him into a nearby building._

_The blonde tried to run after the duo but the door was slammed in his face. He was about to try the door handle to hurry in after his grandfather when the door flew open once more, sending Armin stumbling back. The crowned figure walked out once more, this time alone. Behind him he pulled along a wooden cart with a canvas roof and a compartment and drawers filled with various goods. Armin pushed himself off the ground and approached the cart._

_“Do you want to see what I’m selling? You can have a little, of course, you’ll work it off, but you will earn your bread, young sir.” The king stepped up to the blonde and forced him closer to the cart._

_Sprawled out along the compartments was a variety of items. Meat and bread sat in one corner. Clothing items marked with the names of the deceased in another. Everything was pristine and well taken care of; nothing looked out of place when given a quick glance. And yet, when Armin peered up towards the hats and wigs displayed from the top of the cart, Armin gasped._

_“Hey, where did you get my grandfather’s hat?” he cried, jumping up to take it back. “I was just holding it!”_

_“Oh young boy, I got that hat from the same place I got the meat,” the figure grinned. “You need to eat, don’t you? We must get food from_ somewhere _.”_

_The man picked up a small loaf of bread and flung it at the blonde. “You can have a small piece. The meat and the rest of these treasures go to me and my comrades, of course.”_

_Armin was about to protest when the figure kicked him back down onto the dusty ground. “Don’t worry; you’ll thank me someday for my services. And the perfect way to thank me is to_ give your life _to me.”_

_Before he knew it the crowned figure pulled a tan jacket with the trainee emblem on it and tossed it over Armin’s head, temporarily blinding him until he pulled it off so that he could see once more._

_“Marco!” Armin shouted, springing back when he saw the decaying corpse of his friend. He had pulled off the tan jacket to find himself in the trainee uniform, looking down at his friend. Behind Marco were two elongated shadows._

_“Armin, don’t worry, it’s a bit easier this way,” Marco’s voice reached the blonde’s ears._

_“He’s right, you know,” one of the figures drawled. The shadow on the left shifted a bit and the king figure stepped into the light. He kicked Marco’s side without much of a consideration and smirked. “With all of the secrets you’re only now beginning to figure out, you stand no chance. You might as well give up now and save your own skin. Besides, that’s what I did. What your parents and grandfather did. What your friend here did.”_

_“You’re wrong! They’re fighting for freedom!” the blonde shrieked, rushing forward towards the king and pushing him away from Marco’s corpse. The man backed away, laughing, hands up in defeat. He approached the shadows once more._

_“You know, I’m not the biggest threat out there. And when you see this threat, you’ll_ wish _your enemy was me. Might as well give up now, because…” the man disappeared into the darkness before he finished his sentence. Armin was about to sprint after him and ask what he meant, but just then Annie stepped out of the shadows, looking calm and collected as she always did._

_“You can’t win against your new enemy, Armin. I’m too powerful. There’s too much you still don’t know. And yet, we’ve been here all along, keeping ignorant people like you and your family, Marco,” she paused to expertly slam her heel into Marco’s jaw, “in the dark and pinning it all against that lowlife king. You’ve worried about the wrong person all this time. It’s me you should be after.”_

_“No, no, he sent my grandfather away! He killed people so that the rest could eat! He’s to blame just as much as you are!” Armin struggled to approach her once more but could not move, locked in place._

_“Yeah, and think, Armin, why would he have to send them away? Everything was fine before Wall Maria fell,” Annie smirked and snatched the blonde’s collar in her fist, dragging him into the shadows with her._

_“We’re the ones who broke Wall Maria and forced the king to be cruel. He was just trying to save who he could. There was going to be a famine, Armin!” Annie kicked him onto the ground, somewhere new. A green pasture swallowed the land and continued endlessly into the distance. The sun was frozen just halfway into the horizon, staining the sky red._

_“You’ve had the wrong enemy all this time. Humans are cruel, but what we did was worse. We broke the wall! We forced you to hide! But we also protected you against the titans, Armin. So what are you supposed to do? If you beat us, you’re left defenceless, but if we stay, you’ll face more attacks from us. And the many deaths? Futile. Humanity will never cast off its chains, never taste freedom. You might as well give up now; your friends did.”_

_Annie crept behind him and grabbed the scruff of his neck, forcing him to turn to his right. Figuring out what Annie meant, he shut his eyes, but he couldn’t keep them closed for long. Against his will he opened his eyes, his body driving him to look at the horrific scene before him._

_Blood and defeat. Eren and Mikasa laid side by side on the ground, blood covering their hearts. Bullet wounds caused by their own hands. Each wore a deep frown, each had tear stains down their cheeks, each died of their own free will. They were free. They weren’t plastered with the wide grin his parents and corpse had. They were themselves, except for the loss of will._

_“They fought their own battles, Armin. They didn’t do it out of revenge for a person who didn’t even mean to hurt them. They took a stand and fought their own, and when they couldn’t fit themselves into roles not meant for them, they quit. But look at you, Armin, just as lost as the rest of them. Who do you even fight for? Not for yourself,” Annie told him darkly._

_She turned him back the opposite way, bringing him to face a mirror. Instead of himself, dusty and tear-stained, his reflection revealed a version of him, pale with his grin too wide, his eyes too hollow. And before he could grasp the changes, the reflection shifted into that of Commander Erwin’s, cold, distant, calculated._

_“A merciless commander. One who sends people to their deaths. One who manipulates the deepest desires and emotions of the innocent to get what they want. One who refuses to back down from an impossible fight and instead sends all to their deaths for nothing. You’ll never be decent like your friends. You’re turning into the real enemy,” Annie snarled, shoving Armin into the mirror._

                “Eren! Mikasa!” Armin yelled, pushing himself up onto his hands. The blood was drained from his face and he was covered in a cold sweat. Without thinking he pushed his coverlet off and stumbled to his feet.

                “Oi! Armin! What’s wrong?” Jean called after him, a bit too late.

                He was never a fast runner, but he could be swift when he set his mind to it, and never before had he run so fast in his life. Half-convinced that his friends were dead, he burst into Mikasa’s room, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her out of bed, pulling her after him. The blonde was barely aware of her trying to ask him what was wrong. But she followed without much hesitation just the same. Out of all the nightmares Armin had over the years, he had never had one anywhere near this terrible. And so she followed, set on calming him down once she could get him to stop.

                “Eren!” Armin shouted, reaching the bottom of the stairs to the basement and rushing to his bed. He let go of Mikasa’s hand to shake the brunet away and crawled in next to him when Eren sat up and scooted over a bit. Mikasa sat before the two and Eren and Mikasa looked inquisitively at the blonde.

                “Armin, what happened? You’re shaking like a leaf,” Eren commented, wrapping his arm around his best friend and pulling his blanket up around them.

                Armin put his hand to his lips and tried to steady his trembling. He had matured a lot over the past few years, but his nightmares always sent him back to his old ways, craving comfort from his two best friends. When he had calmed down a bit he told them every detail of the dream, tears glassing over his blue eyes when he got to Eren and Mikasa’s deaths.

                “I just… what if Annie was right? What if I am fighting for the wrong reasons? Or becoming too distant like Commander Erwin? All this time trying to gain as much knowledge as I could so that I could help us reach freedom, and it was all the wrong information! I didn’t even really understand what I was fighting for,” Armin sobbed, still shaken up by his nightmare.

                “Armin, you mean you actually believed what Annie told you in your nightmare?” Mikasa asked, slightly shocked that a nightmare could have such a profound effect on the blonde’s rationality. “You said it yourself: Commander Erwin’s actions were necessary for the good of humanity. The missions we’ve seen, the people died for a reason. We regained Trost and now we have real Annie under lock and key, ready to question her when she comes out again. No one’s died in vain Armin, its either for a great advancement of mankind or to save the lives of others. Or at least to gain _some_ knowledge. We _will_ gain freedom someday.”

                “Mikasa’s right, Armin. That’s a really bad dream, I admit, but it’s all wrong. You really need to stop reading all of those books about titans and the walls before going to bed,” Eren shook his head. “Feel better?”

                Armin nodded, brought back to his senses by Eren and Mikasa. Them being there and alive, still supporting him, was more than enough to make him realise how wrong that dream was. In the fights they fought, there was always a reason behind the death. And Armin? He was fighting for the greater good, whatever that might be in the moment.

                “What the hell Armin?! You can’t just run screaming from our room,” Jean scolded, running down the stairs to the basement.

                “Get outta here!” Eren yelled, seeing the boy. The brunet picked up a boot from beside his bed and threw it towards Jean. He actually did leave then, but it was more because he didn’t want to get caught yelling at Armin right in front of Mikasa.

                “Can we go back to sleep now?” Eren yawned. He collapsed back onto his pillow, dragging Armin down with him, while Mikasa curled up on the other side of the brunet. “You do have a great reason to fight, Armin, you just can’t fully see how great you are yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realise that Armin no longer sees himself as useless, but I can't imagine him being totally over his self-consciousness so fast. I bet he still relapses at times.


	13. Denial

                The day after Armin had his nightmare and slept in the basement room with Eren and Mikasa, the blond trudged back up the stairs to his and Jean’s quarters to get changed and freshened up a bit. Mikasa walked with him a ways until she turned back into her room and he continued on alone, retracing the hall he had sprinted down fearfully only hours before. He remained silent for the walk there with the black haired girl, not wanting to break the tranquillity of the morning or lose the feeling of being able to sleep by Eren’s side that night.

                With a sigh he closed his bedroom door behind him and leaned against it, replaying the events of last night over in his mind. He vaguely noticed Jean lying on his bed, face hidden behind a notepad he was scribbling on. “I’m sorry about last night, waking you up like that,” the blond said after a few minutes, crossing over to his bed to sit down for a second.

                “Don’t worry about it. What happened last night anyway?” Jean replied quietly, his hand paused over the paper with his pen clutched tightly in hand.

                “I had another one of my nightmares. Really, I thought I would have outgrown them but they only ever get worse,” the blond muttered, covering his face in his hands. “It’s all right, though, Eren and Mikasa always calm me down, make me feel better.”

                “Yeah, why’d your jerk of a boyfriend throw a boot at me?” Jean sneered, furrowing his eyebrows and going back to filling the page with ink scratches.

                “One, you interrupted a rather private moment, and two, its Eren, you should’ve been expecting that.” The blond leaned back on his bed, tucking his hands behind his head.

                “I… I’m sorry for interrupting,” Jean admitted, looking away and keeping his head down. “I was just, a bit lonely after you left me. I was hoping you would come back.”

                “Lonely?” Armin sat up and looked at the other, concerned. It hadn’t been long since Marco had died and he knew too well that Jean wept every night for his lost love, staining his pillow with tears before falling asleep. Up until last night Armin would lie on Jean’s bed and cry with him, trying to comfort the heartbroken soul and now that he thought about it, it had been Jean’s first night alone since their loss. Choking back a sob, Armin stood up and quickly crossed to his roommate’s bed, sitting next to him. And it only took him a quick glance at Jean’s notebook to know that he had been writing down another one of his memories of the raven-haired boy. It had been a recent habit of his, writing down his fonder memories of the boy and tossing the paper away afterwards. The blond always kept the discarded stories for him, but he couldn’t blame the other for tossing away the reason that made functioning in daily life difficult, almost impossible.

                “I’m sorry for leaving you last night, I’m so sorry,” the blond whispered.

                “Ever since Marco died…” Jean started, shuddering, his voice cracking at the end as tears pooled in his eyes. Armin gently pulled the notebook out of his hands and slid it onto the nightstand. He looked up at Jean to see tears stain his cheeks once more, as they had every day, and quickly pulled him into an embrace, letting the other weep on his shoulder.

                Hearing Jean’s sobs never failed at pulling Armin down into crying for Marco as well. The three had been so close in their trainee days, but now their trio was broken and he saw how deeply Jean had retreated into himself, how much it had wrenched his soul apart. So many people had been lost, so many breaks in relationships. He knew seeing Hannah trying to frantically resuscitate Franz when he was clearly dead would be burned into his mind forever, something he could never forget. And now he saw one of his best friends fall apart at the seam for a great love torn apart. And though nightmares plagued him in his sleep and in his waking day, Armin knew he was beyond lucky to have Eren still by his side. The hopelessness and sickening sorrow he felt when he thought Eren would never return still haunted him, but the brunet _had_ returned; something that Marco and Franz would never be able to do. Not a day had gone by where the blond hadn’t felt gratitude for Eren and Mikasa still being by his side since the Colossal Titan first appeared, and now that Trost had come and gone leaving destruction in its wake, he felt this doubly so.

                “How am I supposed to let go of him?” Jean cried, shivering. Armin kept his arms tightly around Jean and when he heard the other’s voice break in several places he couldn’t help but let his own tears stain his cheeks.

                Not long after Armin had joined Jean with his own sobs, there was a knock on the door as Eren and Mikasa entered. The blond had promised to join them for breakfast after freshening up, but when he hadn’t shown up outside the brunette’s room, they went looking for him. The two knew that Jean and Armin were taking Marco’s death harder than others because of how close they had become and seeing the two holding each other was no surprise, though their lack of shock didn’t exactly ease the pain they felt when they saw them.

                Barely thinking, Eren immediately crossed over to Jean and hugged him. At that moment, he didn’t care that they were enemies, that the taller boy had insulted him more times than he could count. All he could see was someone who lost their anchor in the world, something he could understand.

                “Jaeger, what the hell are you--!” the boy started, startled by Eren’s sudden actions.

                “Shut up and accept the comfort, you idiot. We’re not going to let you be alone in the world now, I hope you know that,” the brunet growled.

                Mikasa quietly shut the door behind her and sat in front of Jean when Eren had pulled away. The brunet perched next to Armin, trying to dry the blonde’s tears with his sleeves softly. As silent as she had been all morning, Mikasa placed a hand on Jean’s and looked him in the eye.

                “It seems impossible to be able to go on without him now, but someday you’ll find someone who will make you just as happy. And even now, you know we’re here to support you, right, Jean? You’re not alone in the world,” she told him. The night Armin and she had found out about Marco was still fresh in her memory, as was the conversation she had shared with Jean. She knew how he felt, after losing her family several times over, and though they weren’t really friends before this, Armin had already ushered Jean into their family and that was all Mikasa needed for the moment.

                “We were going to spend our life together. We were going to join the Military Police and grow old together, safe behind the walls with everything we needed and I would make all of his wishes come true. I would’ve given him the best life a man could have. And I know he was going to do the same for me, I just know it. And now I’m going to die without him by my side, perhaps with no one by my side,” Jean sighed, quickly wiping the warm tears away from his eyes.

                “No, Jean, that can’t be the end of it. It hurts, it’ll probably always hurt at least a little, but you’re at least bettering yourself,” Eren protested. “You’ve joined the Scouting Legion; you’re going to fight for him. I know he’d be proud of you.”

                “That’s what everyone said! You didn’t know him Jaeger, not like I did! It’d probably worry him if he knew! For all we know perhaps I’ll even be joining him soon!” the taller blond shouted, leaning forward.

                “Jean,” Armin said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I knew Marco, too, you know I did, and you know he’d be happy with whatever path you chose because it was something you wanted. He’d be proud of you for living.”

                “Shut up, Armin,” Jean sighed, feeling a pang of regret immediately afterwards. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose the person you were going to spend your life with.”

                “Excuse you?” Eren began, but stopped when Armin pushed him down and motioned him to keep calm for a minute.

                “I beg to differ, Jean. I know you probably didn’t care too much, but I didn’t feel a whole lot different than you do when I lost Eren during Trost. Granted, he thankfully came back, but I didn’t know that at the time. I couldn’t convince myself that I would survive that battle, any battle, without him by my side. I wasn’t sure that I _wanted_ to survive that battle. But you know I ended up fighting anyway, Jean, even after losing all hope I kept going. Mikasa was there, and that means that even if you do lose the love of your life, there’s always someone else there for you. Like us, Jean, we’re here for you,” the blonde recounted, shuddering when he thought of losing Eren to the titan once more. Immediately afterwards Eren slipped his arm around Armin and pulled him close, kissing him on the forehead in reassurance.

                “So I’m part of you weirdo’s group then, huh?” Jean asked quietly, looking up. In confirmation the trio nodded silently, knowing it was a choice that they wouldn’t regret.

                “Come on, I’ll get breakfast for us today,” Mikasa offered, standing up and offering her hand to him. “There’s no reason to not start fighting to live now.”

                Jean smiled faintly and took her hand, accepting their offer to be a part of their family without a word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Jeanmarco week!! ^-^


End file.
